Her Shattered Destiny
by Kniteshadow
Summary: An ancient warlock casts a dangerous spell on herself. When she awakens, her whole world has changed and she must now fight to reclaim her past. Minor changes being made to the story to clean it up. Updated. Story, grammer and text cleaned up.
1. Prologue

Her Shattered Destiny

By Kniteshadow

Introduction

A couple of years ago, I was injured in an accident. While I was recovering, my daughter purchased a copy of World Of Warcraft for me so that I may have something to do while I was healing up. Like many people who play the game, I found it a lot of fun and quite addicting. As time progressed and my characters matured, I started thinking of stories to support my characters and their adventures. This then, is a story based on a few of my characters in the game. I've used the original names of the characters, so please understand that although the names may sound familiar, there is no intention to link these with comics, manga, anime, TV or real life.

This is my first posted fanfiction, and so I expect that many errors will be found as these chapters progress. Please let me know of any so that I can get them corrected.

Comments and criticism are highly appreciated! Flamers, however, will be ignored.

Chapter 1 - Prologue

Her gnarled fingers reached across the table and grasped the crystal goblet. She then carefully turned it around and inspected the contents. As she rotated the ancient artifact, energies within mingled and caused the contents to sparkle and slowly change color. It had taken her nearly two centuries of hard work to reach her present level of power. She was now feared by most of her kind and her powers in the warlock magics now equaled that of the Ancients. She turned her head and looked at herself in the large gilded mirror over her dressing table. The frail woman that stared back at her was almost too frightening to look at. Her hair, once a beautiful reddish brown, was now a tattered mass of white and gray that made her look like some kind of spectral ghost. Her once stunning face was now a mass of wrinkles and warts. If you were to see her for the first time, an old hag would be the first thing that came into your mind. But if you lingered for a moment you would see her bright green eyes and the fire that burned within. There was intelligence there and it was very, very evil.

The old woman talked to herself as she made preparations for the spell. "It has taken over 5 years of scrounging to get the equipment for this enchantment and it cost me a fortune. It will all be well worth it though, for when I'm done, the world will soon tremble in fear at the mere mention of my name."

She took the goblet to the side of her bed and set it down on the small table next to it. She then walked over to the other side and on an identical table started a fire inside a brass incense burner. She sprinkled a bit of powder into the burner and watched as it slowly started to produce a hazy smoke. After taking a breath of the sweet smelling vapors, she turned and inspected the glowing runes on the floor. Arranged in a circle around her bed were symbols of the six known elements of earth, water, air, fire, magic and time. The rune for time was placed at the center of the circle and a student of these runes would

quickly realize that this particular rune was drawn backwards.

Satisfied that everything was ready, she walked over to the other side of the bed and picked up the goblet. Holding it close to her mouth she silently worded a phrase to herself and when she was finished, she drank the entire contents. She shuddered as the fiery brew churned inside her like some kind of high-powered dwarven whisky. Taking a deep breath she climbed up onto her bed and rolled onto her back. She reached in her robe and pulled out an old withered stick. Holding the piece of wood in her hand, she raised it above her body and mouthed a few unidentifiable words. A second later, the room was bathed in a soft blue light as the spell started to do its work. Tiny blue lights began to form above her and as they did, they started to fall. The tiny little sparks soon covered her in a cloud of soft blue light, and her eyes became heavy and closed. She was soon asleep and never saw that the runes on the floor had connected themselves together and formed the classic shape of a pentagram.

More importantly, she never saw the dissipation of a magic cloak as it revealed three persons who were themselves still cloaked in shadow. The two taller figures could only stare at the sleeping woman with a deep hatred, but the third, an older gnomish woman looked upon the sleeping warlock with a terrible sadness. Finally with heavy tears flowing from her eyes, she prepared her spell.


	2. Unexpectee Treasure

Chapter 2 – Unexpected Treasure

The young dwarf positioned his lantern and peered into the chamber for the first time. As the glow from the mining lantern pushed away the shadows, he saw for the first time the treasure he was searching for. Smiling to himself, he put the lantern on a flat stone and continued chip away at the opening with his pick.

He came from a long line of proud miners and excavators. His grandfather was one of the key discoverers of the Uldeman catacombs, and his own father had worked on the excavations in Loch Modan. Determined to prove he had what it took to be a great miner, he set off immediately from his training to an area he knew from his childhood as having interesting possibilities. Situated near the gnome and dwarf training centers, it was hidden behind some primitive troll caves. A Dwarf himself, he could sense the distinct possibility of some kind of treasure hidden there. As a miner, he could also sense the presence of an exotic stone of some kind. Under the cover of darkness every night, he had crept here and worked into the early morning hours as he quietly dug a small tunnel toward his prize. After months of back breaking work, he finally broke through the chamber wall and was overjoyed at the prospect of seeing the treasure for the first time.

With a mighty swing of his pick, a large enough piece fell away and gave him just enough room to squeeze into the chamber. He lifted the lantern and inspected the room. It was square with rounded corners and about twenty feet across and about ten feet high. Against one wall stood a wooden cabinet of some sort that was intricately carved and had several drawers in it. Like everything in the room, it was covered in a layer of fine dust. Across the room stood a tall cabinet of similar design, but a pair of intricately carved doors were instead mounted on its front. Just to the right of that, was a long low table or desk. Several dust covered bottles and other instruments sat on it. As he raised his lantern to get a better look, something above the table glowed back at him. Startled, he took a step back and noticed for the first time, there was some kind of rectangular plague on the wall. The young Dwarf reached into his pocket and pulled out a small brush and cautiously brushed some of the dust off of its smooth surface. A few seconds later, he gasped and stood back. Looking back at him was his own face and he whispered aloud, "A mirror! Ah wasn't expecting ta see that in here."

As he looked at the chamber again, he realized that he was in some kind of bedroom and not a tomb or treasure chamber. He turned his attention to the center of the room. Where a bed should be, there stood a large block of stone. It was about ten feet on each side and seemed to sparkle a bit when the light moved across its surface. It was here that John felt the presence of treasure. The stone was like nothing he had ever seen before. It looked like it was made of glass, but at the same time felt as if it were solid stone. He removed his glove and rubbed his hand across the smooth surface. "It's warm!" He said in a startled voice.

Putting his glove back on and picking up his pick he said, "Ah should take a sample of this ta me father."

He made a few light taps against a corner but the shiny stone was too tough and couldn't be scratched so easily. Realizing that the stone was not going to be chipped with light taps, he positioned himself across from it and with a mighty swing, drove the pick as hard as he could against the stone's surface. To his surprise, the pick sank all the way up to its head when it struck the block. Seconds later, hairline cracks began to form at the point of impact and began to radiate out. When the cracks reached the edge of the block, there was a loud cracking sound followed moments later a tremendous crash as the block exploded into a million tiny pieces. He fell back and covered his eyes as bits of glass rained down on him. The room was suddenly quiet as the last of the pieces fell to the ground. He picked up his lantern and as he got to his feet, shined the light on his handiwork. He was completely unprepared for the sight that greeted him. The exploding block had covered the room in tiny bits of broken glass, but where the block once stood was now a large bed, and laying on it was a young Gnomish woman. "Aye, She's…beautiful." He whispered softly.

She had silky smooth platinum white hair. Her face was very cute with full ruby lips and a tiny little nose. Above that were a pair of perfect eyebrows and enchanting eyes that even closed warmed his heart. By all impressions she looked as if she was just a couple of years into her twenty's. It was then he noticed the woman's dress and gasped, "That…that robe! It's the robe of a high warlock!"

Warlocks, especially high warlocks were feared by all in the realms. Their magics were painful and their pets played with a person's mind and brought forth horrible visions. As he looked more closely at the robe he thought, "_It takes decades ta learn tha warlock art. If this woman is so young, how kin she possibly be a high warlock?_"

Wondering if the robe was a fake, he cautiously reached across the bed to touch the material. The instant he touched the robe, the small woman's eyes snapped open. John staggered back at the sight of the warlock's haunting green eyes.

"Sh-she's alive! The gods save me! She must truly be a powerful warlock ta have survived in that stone!" He whispered under his breath as he backed away towards the far corner.

Slowly the woman's head turned as she tried to face him. He could now see that she was trying to say something. He wondered if the woman might be in pain and in need of medical attention after being held in the stone. He forgot his fear for the moment and crept closer to the bed so that he might hear what she was saying. When he got to the bed, he lowered his head to her and in a raspy voice he heard her say, "Water…."

"Aye, water. Ah have just the thing fer ya. It's not as good as a mug of Thunderale, but it's from a natural spring near here and is very soothing."

He reached into his pack and pulled out a skin filled with the spring water. After pulling the cork off, he brought it up to the woman's lips and gently poured a trickle of cool water into her mouth. She swallowed once, and then again. He stopped trickling the water after the second swallow and said, "Easy now, lass. Ah don't know how long ya've been stuck here, but ya need ta take it easy on tha water fer now so ya don't get sick."

She spoke again with her voice sounding a bit better, "Who…who are you?"

He placed the water skin down and with an exadurated bow said, "Jonathan McDougal, at yer service."

He continued, "Ah'm a hunter, but me love is minin fer treasure and exotic gems. Ah had sensed when Ah first walked past these ruins, that some valuable minerals might be buried here. But after Ah dug through and inta this room, Ah found ya encased in a large block o' stone."

"Stone?"

"Aye. Twas extremely hard an looked like glass. When Ah hit tha stone with me mining pick, it shattered inta a million pieces."

John paused for a moment and then said, "May Ah ask ya what yer name is?"

In a very tired voice the woman said, "I am called…Perfyume"

"Well then, it's nice ta meet ya Perfyume. If ya don't mine me saying so, ya look like ya could use a bit o' sleep. Why don't ya rest fer a bit an Ah'll fix us up some nice hot soup fer dinner."

Perfyume nodded and slowly closed her eyes.


	3. Realization

Chapter 3 - Realization

A couple of hours later, Perfyume opened her eyes once again. She turned her head and noticed that Jonathan was no longer in her room. Feeling much better she slowly propped herself up on one elbow and scanned her surroundings. She was shocked to see that her lovely tapestries were covered with what looked like fine dust. Cobwebs were strewn everywhere and even the great mirror above her dressing table was shrouded in dust.

"What has happened?" She wondered. "It looks like decades have past in my room! And what was that nonsense that idiot was spouting off about a block of glass?"

She was about to make an effort to get up when suddenly Jonathan came walking into the room from the hole across the room. "How on earth did that hole get there?"

Jonathan ignored the question for the moment and placed a steaming pot on the floor while he dug into his knapsack. "Ah fixed us up a bit o'stew. Ah'm sorry that it's not anything fancy, but the rabbit is fresh an it tastes pretty good if Ah do say so."

Perfyume inhaled the aroma and suddenly her stomach started to growl. "That smells very good. Mmm, I'm starving!"

Jonathan had already spooned some into a bowl and was handing it to her. "Well then, here ya go. Hope ya like it."

Perfyume sat up on the edge of her bed and after taking the bowl, scooped up a small bit with a spoon and took a taste. "Mmm, it's delicious!"

She continued to eat her bowl of stew and after a few minutes she was finished. She wanted to eat more, but now that her head was clearing she realized that right now, it would be bad for her. She handed the bowl to John, "Thank you. That was a wonderful stew."

John took the bowl and said, "Ah'll keep some fer ya ta have later if ya need it."

She gently got down from the bed and onto her feet. For a moment she felt shaky as her unsteady legs worked to keep her on her feet. "This is not right. Something very wrong has happened."

Shuffling her feet, she slowly made her way over to her little dresser. The mirror above it was covered in dust so she reached inside a drawer and pulled out a handkerchief. Before using it to wipe the mirror she noted how brittle and frail the hanky felt. Suddenly she gasped as her reflection became clear enough to see. "Will you look at that?"

She could barely recognize the person looking back from the mirror at her. The old hag she once was had been replaced by a beautiful young woman. Not a single wrinkle was visible on her smooth skin and her green eyes nearly glowed with a new and fiery youth. All of this was not unexpected as the youth spell was supposed to make her young once again. What surprised her was the platinum white hair she now had. Gone was the horrible ghostly white hair of an old woman, replaced not with the enchanting reddish brown hair of her youth, but with a thick mane of silky smooth white hair.

"I don't understand. My hair should have changed too."

She reached up and ran her fingers through her hair and noted its texture.

"Hmm. It certainly feels like it's a young person's hair. It's thick and luxurious. Could it be that only the color change failed?"

Without thinking she reached across the small dresser and picked up a comb. She took a look at it and after blowing the dust off, started to comb her hair. On the second stroke, the comb snapped in half. Startled, she reached up to her hair and pulled the broken half out and looked at it.

"This is a bone comb made from the spiny lion fish. It only gets brittle and breaks if it's not moistened in water every once and a while. Even so, it would take years for it to get brittle enough to snap like this."

Perfyume turned and looked around her bedchamber. Her eyes suddenly widened as she realized that the dust was not from the explosion of the block she was imprisoned in. "It takes y-years to get this much dust deposited in a closed room like this! That means…that means I'm…."

As the pieces of the puzzle fell together, Perfyume's mind reeled at the realization that all of her carefully laid plans were now in ruins. Without another word, she feinted and fell bonelessly to the floor.

Perfyume awoke to the feeling of very strong arms holding her as she was gently being set down on her bed. She opened her eyes and saw that John that had once again come to her aid. When John saw her eyes open, he said, "Ah heard ya cry out and when Ah looked up, Ah saw ya lyin on tha floor. Ah had just picked ya up and set you back on yer bed when ya came to. What happened? Are ya feeling weak?"

"No it's not that. John, I believe something terrible has happened to me. What year is this?"

John paused for a second, "Well, Ah'm not sure about Gnomish years, but in Alliance years, its-."

"Wait! Alliance? What do you mean by that?"

John raised an eyebrow and looked at Perfyume, "The Alliance. Ya know. Twas formed during the Great War ta fight off tha Horde invasion. The Gnomes, Dwarves, Humans an Elves have been allied together ever since."

"You're saying the Night Elves are cooperating with the Humans, Gnomes and Dwarves? Gnomes and Dwarves I can understand, but Night Elves? That's insane!"

"Tis true though. Tha horde destroyed almost all o' Stormguard and did a lot o' damage ta Stormwind. Dozens o'cities have fallen an lay in ruins or rotting decay."

"Stormguard had fallen? That would mean the Arathi plains and highlands have fallen as well."

"There are still pockets o' resistance an tha Horde hasn't taken it completely."

"What of Ironforge?"

John brightened at the mention of the great Dwarven city. "There has never been a successful attack against Ironforge. It stands as solid as always."

A small smile started to form, "You Dwarves always could build them strong. So tell me, how has Gnomeregan fared?"

Jonathon lowered his gaze to the floor, "Ah'm sorry lass…it has…fallen…."

"Fallen? Who-what happened? How did it happen?"

"Most o' what we know has come from people that have escaped an from tha expeditions that have gone down an survived ta tell what they saw. It is said that troggs somehow poured inta tha lower levels o' the city. They went mad an destroyed tha power generator. When the generator was destroyed, it released some kind o' poison that attacked an killed many o' the people there. It affected many o' the Gnomes causing them ta kill anyone not affected by tha poison."

Tears began to form in her eyes, "What has become of my people?"

"A large number o' Gnomes now live in Ironforge. An area inside tha city called Tinkertown was set aside fer them ta live in. They built an ungrounded tram that from there runs straight ta Stormwind in tha Dwarven sector. There are also small pockets o' Gnomes scattered across tha realm."

Perfyume felt as if a knife had been stuck in her heart. Her people overrun with these vile troggs and enslaved by some kind of hideous poison. Before her depression could grow further, she heard Jonathan say, "Ah'm really sorry fer yer loss, Perfyume. Ah've heard that some people are working on a cure fer tha poison an hope ta one day take tha city back."

She took a deep breath, "If there is a way, our scientists and engineers will find it."

"May Ah ask a question?"

Perfyume nodded, "Yes, go ahead."

"How long do ya think that ya've been stuck in that block of stone? Ah kin see right now that ya don't know of tha alliance or tha fall of Gnomeregan or Stormguard an that was quite a few years ago. If ya kin tell me what happened before ya were imprisoned, perhaps we kin figure out how this all came about."

She thought to herself for a moment and then said, "Alright. I'll tell you all I know up to now. Let's see…I was putting together the regents for the youth spell…."

Jonathan interrupted, "Ah'm sorry lass, but in order ta get a feel fer what happened, we need a date. Hmm…. Tell me of a great event an how many years that was from yer time an we'll have a reference point."

Perfyume nodded, "Good idea. Well, it was two hundred and twenty five years since the building of the Loch Modan dam. Does that help?"

Jonathan stared at her with his eyes wide and his mouth open.

"I said, does that help?"

"Ah'm sorry, Perfyume, but that was three hundred an thirty one years ago. If what ya say is true, you've been stuck in that stone fer one hundred an six years!"

Now it was Perfyume's turn to be shocked, "I…I've been asleep for a hundred years? Dear God, how did this happen?"

"Ah have no idea myself, but lets continue with ya telling me what ya know an maybe we kin get a clue."

Perfyume looked at him for a moment and then nodded, "So once I got everything ready, I went to the bed chamber and cast the spell. I then laid down on the bed and fell asleep. I was supposed to wake up in about a day and I would have been changed from a two hundred year old woman into a beautiful twenty year old maiden. Instead, I find myself with white hair being rescued by a dwarf and another one hundred years older. It doesn't make any sense."

Jonathon thought about what she had said for a moment, "Did any one else know of what ya were planning ta do here?"

"Hmm. No, not really. I tend to keep to myself about these things."

"Okay, where did ya get tha regents ta make tha spell?"

"Oh, some I had brought from overseas, the others I got them from my…daughter…Cologne…."

Suddenly Perfyume jumped off of the bed and squatted down to look at the floor. She picked up a tiny piece of what was left of the block that had encased her. "Hmm. This appears to be mageglass. It's very difficult to make, and it's also vulnerable to exposure from water, but when it's cast to form around someone, it freezes them in an eternal sleep."

"Any idea who might have done this ta ya"

Her green eyes glowed with anger, "Yes I do. My daughter.…"


	4. Friends

**Chapter 4 - Friends**

John looked at Perfume for a moment, "Surly you cant be serious. Why would yer own daughter do such a thing?

Perfyume lowered her eyes, "Cologne and I didn't see eye to eye. Everything I worked for in my life seemed to make her drift away from me more and more. Eventually she left my home and moved into the mages quarter in Stormwind. About the time I was casting this spell, she was nearing the peak of her abilities as a mage."

"Aye, it's a known fact that mages an warlocks don't get along very well. It must have been hard on ya both. Still, that doesn't explain why she would do such a thing."

"Until I know more, John, I can't tell you anything more about it. I will say that what I had planned after the spell finished would have changed Gnomeregan forever and possibly prevented its fall. When my daughter interrupted my spell, her actions allowed the near destruction of the Gnomish race."

"Do you think the lass is still alive?"

"I'm sure she is. After all, we Gnomes live for quite a long ti…"

She suddenly stopped talking and as she did, her eyes widened and she started to laugh. John stared at her for a moment not having any idea what could be so funny. When she got herself under control she said, "Oh this is priceless! I have the body of a twenty year old and my daughter…giggle…my daughter is about two hundred years old and probably showing every day of it!"

She looked at her hands for a moment and said, "I'm going to have to take a bath and put on some clean clothes. John, would you come with me please?"

John got up from the floor and watched as Perfyume slid off the bed and walked over to the wall next to chest of drawers. She placed her hands on the wall and said a quiet phrase. A few seconds later she placed her hands on the wall again and said the phrase a bit louder. "Something's wrong. There is a hidden door here that is magically sealed. It is a simple spell that has kept the door and this room hidden from the outside while I slept."

John looked at the wall for a few seconds, "Ah can't tell if there's a door here or not, but it shouldn't take much more than a simple scroll ta wash it off. Ah might have something here."

He squatted to the floor and started to dig in his ever present knapsack. "Ah, here it is."

He handed her a tightly wrapped scroll. She took it from his hands and after she unrolled it a bit, read the title, "Dispel Magic. I've used these before."

"Aye. It should clear the cloaking spell off of yer door."

She studied the scroll for a few moments. Once she had the spell memorized, she spoke it softly in the direction of the wall. Instantly a small spark appeared at the bottom of the wall and started to rise. As it did, it swayed right and left almost like a spiral. When it reached the ceiling, the spark softly exploded into a hundred tiny little sparks that faded before they hit the ground.

John saw it first, "Look there, lass! Ah can see tha door now!

Perfyume also saw the door appear and immediately reached out and grabbed the handle. A quick twist of her hand, and she slid the door along its track and into the wall.

They walked into the next room and when she reached the center, she studied the condition of what was the living room. Her tapestries were bit dusty but unlike the bedroom, viewable. The couches and reading chairs also had a little bit of dust, but it was not so bad that it couldn't be brushed off. On one side of the room was a massive fireplace with a large mantle. Along the top of the mantle were several crystals. John was particularly drawn to the crystals and as he walked over to take a better look, Perfyume said, "They're not very valuable, but they sparkled very nice in the light. I kept them to help me relax and meditate. I know you're a mineral enthusiast, so you're welcome to take one."

John pulled out his brush and started to clean the crystals to get a better look. While he did, Perfyume walked into the next room where the bath was located. When she had her home built, one of the few technological luxuries she allowed herself was the hot springs bath. A pipe from a nearby hot spring diverted a steady stream of very hot water into her bath. As the tub overflowed, the excess water drained out through a clay pipe and down the mountain outside. She was gratified to find it still very hot after all these years. After removing her robe, she climbed into the tub and with a contented sigh, lowered herself into the water.

John was still inspecting and cleaning the crystals when she finished her bath and walked back in the room wearing a plain white robe. She observed him as he held one up the light and watched it sparkle. "You seem to like that one quite a bit. You're welcome to keep it if you want.

John paused before carefully placing the crystal on the mantle. He turned to her and said, "Perfyume, there's something Ah've been wanting ta ask ya fer a while. Ah haven't because Ah didn't want ta offend ya, but it's been nagging me fer a bit now, and Ah need ta know some things before Ah go on."

She looked at John for a moment and flashed a small smile. Then she walked over to an upholstered chair and after sitting down, said, "What's on your mind?"

John took her hint sat down across from her on a couch. "Well, lass, when Ah discovered ya laying on that bed, ya had on tha robe of a high warlock. Ah've always been told that warlocks are evil creatures an they're not ta be trusted. Yet ya seem like a good sort a person. Not once have ya tried ta cause me harm an Ah've not seen a single demon. Ah just need ta know for sure."

Perfyume looked at john for a few moments. She could easily lie to him and say anything she wanted, but something inside her told her that she needed to tell the truth. "I owe you much John. You saved my life when you broke that spell. Without you, I probably would have been sealed in that room not for hundreds, but thousands of years. The gods only know what horrors would have greeted me then."

She continued, "You are correct in thinking I'm a high warlock. In my time I was one of the most powerful warlock the world had seen. I used my magic powers to change the world around me to my liking. If someone didn't please me, I had a long list of ways to make them feel waves of horrible pain. And if they really got me upset, I had several pets to call on that were superbly trained in the arts of painful death."

"So, why tha change?"

She smiled at the young dwarf, "It would have been very easy to have just forced you to do my bidding, and in my past, I probably would have. But now, I just didn't feel right to doing something like that to a person who rescued me from what could have been a very ugly future. It is a very different feeling for me, but I feel in debt to you."

John blushed slightly and got off of the couch. "Ya owe me nothing, lass. But if ya really want ta make me happy, lets you an me be friends."

"F-friends? You may not believe this, but I've not had many friends."

She thought about it for a while and then said, "Alright, I'd like that. I'd like that very much, John."

A huge grin formed across his face as he held his huge hand to her and said, "Shake!"

She turned her head slightly to one side, "Huh?"

John rolled his eyes. "Look, if yer gonna be one of me friends, yer gonna have ta learn how ta shake."

Reaching to her he gently took her hand and placed it in his. Then he closed his fingers around it and slowly shook it up and down a few times. "That's all there is ta it."

She looked at him for a moment and said, "So this is what you dwarves do for fun, eh."

John laughed aloud, "Perfyume, you get a few mugs o Thunderale in me an you'll see some real fun!"

She flashed him a smile, "Thanks for warning me."

John was about to say something else when they heard a horrible whining sound coming from the bedchamber. Moments later, three nasty looking creatures charged into the room with knives ready.

John jumped in front of Perfyume and pulled out his axe. "Stand behind me, lass. Ah'll get their attention, while ya prepare yer spells."

"What the hell are they?"

"Those are troggs."


	5. Troggs!

Chapter 5 – Troggs!

Perfyume's eyes almost glowed with green fire. "These filthy beasts are responsible for the near destruction of Gnomeregan?"

"Aye, but if you don't get something going pretty soon we're going ta be hurting pretty bad."

"So these are the bastards that attacked my beautiful city! I may not have any shards, but my imp can easily burn the lot of these foul creatures to a crisp!"

She spread her hands apart and whispered the spell that would call forth an imp. Enslaved to her command, it would do her bidding until it either died or was dismissed and sent away.

Nothing happened. Over his shoulder John said, "Anytime lass! They're about ta rush us!"

She quickly tried to shoot a trio of pain spells that she thought would slow them down, but again nothing happened. "John! It's not working! Nothing's working!"

The Troggs started to spread out and surround them. As they did, John reached into his belt and pulled out a short skinning knife. "Here. Ya might have ta use this if one gets too close. Ah'll do what Ah can ta keep them away."

The largest of the gang pointed at John. It had a long dirty face with high bony cheeks and a pointed, hair covered chin. Its broken and yellow teeth could be seen through a cruel mouth and the hair on its head was filthy and infested with mange. It was about the size of a Dwarf with long hairy arms that seemed like they could reach the ground. It only wore a simple rag around its waist made from some discarded piece of clothing. When it spoke, it was in high-pitched whiny voice. "Dwaaarf noo scaaaare uss! Weee kiiill Dwaaarf! Weee kiiill Gnooome!"

The three Troggs then charged at once. John brought his axe across in a vicious swipe and caught one across the hand. The wounded Trogg grabbed his cut hand and screamed as he backed away from the fight.

Perfyume held the knife in her hand as she moved just to the left of John. "_Damn! It's been so long since I've used a knife in combat that I can hardly remember. This skinning knife does feel like a dagger I once had when I was a young girl. Well then, if these beasts are the ones responsible for the fall of Gnomeregan, then I'll make them pay, one way or the other!_"

John took another swing at a closing Trogg, but it pulled back just in time to get out of his reach. Suddenly he saw a small flash to his right as the other Trogg raised a throwing dagger in the air. John turned slightly to give the Trogg the smallest target and allow more maneuverability to dodge the dagger. But when the knife was thrown, it was much faster than he thought and with a thud, it embedded itself into his shoulder.

Perfyume saw the knife come and heard the thud. She didn't know John was hit until she saw him switch hands with the axe. When John gave her a quick glance to check on her, she saw the dagger still sticking out of his shoulder. "_Oh god, he's hit!_"

Anger began to rise in Perfyume as she glared at the Troggs.

John wanted to reach up and pull out the dagger from his shoulder, but if he did, not only would it start to bleed freely, but he would lose his defensive posture.

Suddenly, he caught movement to his left and glancing over, saw Perfyume run forward and shove the skinning knife deep in to the belly of the Trogg in front of her. She then jerked it out viciously and spun around to the back of the now screaming Trogg. With a sudden sweeping move, she drove the dagger into the trogg's side and gave the knife another vicious twist before she pulled it out.

John was still fighting with the last Trogg when he saw the one near Perfyume fall over dead. "Ah don't believe it! She took that one out all by herself!"

Looking at the Trogg he said, "It's just you and me now, laddie."

With his axe held in his good arm, he swung at the Trogg's head. The Trogg saw it coming and ducked under the stroke of the axe. What the Trogg didn't see was the edge of the blade as John twisted the axe head vertical and took a painful glancing blow across its head. John continued with the motion of the axe, bringing it around his head and coming down in a steep slice to the Trogg's skull. The Trogg was screaming from the pain of the first hit and didn't see the axe as it slammed into its face. It was dead before it hit the floor.

Meanwhile, Perfyume was at a standoff with the wounded Trogg that had attacked John earlier. Having gotten over its initial pain from the wound in its hand, it was enraged and slicing the air in a back and forth motion in an attempt to cut her. Suddenly the Trogg stiffened and a moment later it fell, face down with John's axe sticking out of its back.

John scanned the dead Troggs and said with a laugh, "Hah! We showed them, didn't we lass?"

Perfyume was happy to be alive! Her rapid heart beats and the adrenaline rushing through her veins were making her giddy. Her happiness was short lived though, when she looked at John and saw the dagger still sticking out of his shoulder. "You're wounded!"

"Aye lass, the beastie got a lucky shot in me with this dagger. Ah'm going ta need your help ta get it out. It's in pretty deep."

John reached into his pack and pulled out a small bottle with a reddish liquid in it. He also pulled out several small linen bandages. Once he had everything ready, he motioned his friend to come over next to him. "Alright now, here's what Ah want you ta do. The blade went through my leather coat, so Ah can't take it off. When Ah pull the knife out, it's gonna bleed really fast. Take those bandages and press them hard up against the cut. Ah'll take the healing potion and it should take affect in a minute or so."

She took the bandage from him and positioned it so that she could get it to the wound quickly. "_If somebody had told me that I'd be helping to heal a Dwarven hunter in my own home I probably would have turned my succubus on him and had a good laugh. I don't know why I'm concerned about him…It's not something I'm used to at all_."

John Reached up and grabbed the dagger handle. "Are ya ready?"

Perfyume nodded, "Just get it out so we can take care of the wound."

John closed his eyes and with a mighty heave, pulled the dagger out. "Aaaaarrrgh! Damn that hurt a lot more coming out than going in!"

Perfyume was a bit startled when John yelled, but still got the bandage on the wound as soon as the dagger was pulled out.

John tossed the dagger on the floor and reached over and picked up the healing potion. He drank all but a bit at the bottom and then looked at Perfyume. "Okay lass, Ah want ta put some of this directly on the wound. It should help the make tha healing work a bit faster"

Reaching over he picked up a few more bandages and set them on his leg. Then he unbuttoned his coat and took a look on the inside. "This is gonna be a bit tricky. Ah'm gonna open up my coat a bit more and pour the rest of this potion on the wound. Right after that, Ah'm going ta place this bandage directly on it. Once Ah finish, Ah want ya ta put yer bandage where ya have it now, and push hard."

"Alright, but I'm not sure if I'm doing this right."

"Don't worry, you're doing fine!"

John pulled the coat back far enough to expose the wound. Taking the bottle, he poured the remainder onto the wound and slapped the bandage over it. Dropping the bottle, he grabbed his coat and pulled it back over the wound. "Gods! That burns worse than Ironforge rotgut whiskey!"

After several seconds had gone by, he said, "What do you think happened when you tried ta summon your pet?"

Perfyume kept her eyes on her work. "I'm not sure. I didn't need a soul stone to summon the imp, but it just wouldn't work. And it wasn't just that, when I tried to drop a quick series of searing pain spells, none of them would work either. I should have known something was wrong when I wasn't able to clear the cloaking spell on my door earlier."

"Ah don't know what happened ta you, but Ah think you should see an expert in warlock skills. There's a training center not far from here and Ah'll bet we can find some answers for ya over there."

"That might be a good idea. A warlock trainer might be able to tell me what the hell has gone wrong."

She paused for a moment. "It just occurred to me that I have another problem. These dressers contain all of my clothes. They are also protected by a magical locking spell that I cast before I took my 'little' sleep. You don't by chance happen to have any more of those neat little dispel magic scrolls, do you?"

"Sorry lass, that was the last one.

"Then all I have to my name is this robe and these sandals. With those spells active, I can't use the library or the lab. Heck, I can't even use the normal entrance up in the hills."

"Well, ya can keep the dagger. Ah can always use the knife that Trogg stuck in me as a skinner."

"Thank you. It's been a long, long time since I used a dagger for anything except cutting my dinner. When I saw you hurt, something inside me clicked and much of my old dagger training suddenly came into focus."

"That sure was impressive the way you took out that Trogg. That reminds me. We need ta get rid of these bodies so they don't end up rotting in here."

There's a garbage chute in the kitchen. It leads down to a lower cave. There are lots of rats down there that will love feasting on those things."

John got up and flexed his wounded shoulder. Satisfied that it was almost healed, he walked over to one of the troggs, grabbing it by the feet and dragged it over to the kitchen area. There was a thump sound and seconds later he was back for another one. When he finished with the third, he said, "Well, that's about it. We should head on over to the training center so we can find out what happened to your warlock skills."

Perfyume nodded and they both headed through the hole in the wall towards the outside.


	6. Warlock Once Again

Chapter 6 – Warlock once again

When she emerged from the tunnel she was a bit surprised to see snow on the ground. "I didn't realize it was winter."

"Aye lass. Even so, it stays pretty cold around here and the snow doesn't all melt, even in the summer."

Perfyume stopped just outside the tunnel opening for a moment and after looking at the opening turned back to face John. "Do you have any black powder or something explosive?"

"Ah sure do! No self respecting treasure hunter would be without some kind of explosive."

"May I have a look at what you have?"

"Well, sure…just a sec while Ah dig it out."

John took off his pack and dug inside for a short while. Then he pulled out a pair of thick cylinders that were tied together and handed them to Perfyume. "Here ya go. Ya light the fuse on the end and after a few moments…boom!"

Perfyume nodded and handed them back. "I can't have those Troggs or anyone else digging into my home while were gone. I want you to blow up that tunnel you dug so that no one can get in there again."

He looked at her for a sec and then said, "Ah hadn't thought of that. Okay, let's move over ta that boulder and get behind it first."

They went behind a large rock and once there, John pulled out a flint and started a small fire with some kindling. "When Ah light these fuses, Ah'm going ta toss the explosives into tha tunnel. When they go off, all hell is going ta break loose, so stay low and cover your ears."

When he saw her nod her head, he stuck the twisted pair of fuses into the fire and when they caught, he stood up and tossed the pair of explosives into the cave. He then squatted down and put his arm around Perfyume and held her close. "Hang on lass!"

Perfyume was about to push John away for getting a bit too close for her comfort when the explosives ignited. The shock wave was felt more than heard as it fanned out from the cave and struck the boulder. Moments after the blast nearly tore her from John's grasp as hundreds of rocks and pebbles started raining down on her. A few seconds later, it stopped and John got up to take a look. "Well lass, Ah might have used a wee bit too much, but nobody is going in there anytime soon."

She got up and walked around the boulder and sure enough, the entire tunnel entrance had collapsed onto itself. It would take an army of diggers to remove all of the broken rock and dirt that now buried the passageway to her bedroom. "My ears are still ringing, but you did a good job, John."

They picked up their packs and started down to the end of the ravine. After a short walk, they entered a snow covered valley. It was fairly flat and filled with trees. In the distance a small settlement could be seen. John turned to her and said, "It's a short trip ta that settlement up ahead. Let's hurry up and get you some warm clothes and decent shoes before you catch a cold."

Perfyume nodded her head enthusiastically. "I'm with you there, this wind is blowing right through my robe and these sandals aren't doing my feet any good against this freezing snow. Let's hurry it up a bit, ok?"

John and Perfyume broke into an easy jog and they started to make good time. Around them they could see several wolves and boars, but for some reason the animals didn't seem to notice them. They had gone three quarters of the way when Perfyume suddenly stopped. John quickly noted that she had her dagger out and was in a defensive stance.

He looked ahead and off to the left he saw what it was that had stopped her. Dozens of troggs were milling about a small primitive camp site about 20 meters ahead. John placed his hand on her shoulder and said, "Easy lass, these things don't seem ta be very aggressive at the moment. But if we get em all fired up right now, we'll be sitting ducks. Let's get you squared away and when we come back, we'll give em hell, okay?"

Perfyume sighed and softened her stance. She realized that John was right and they needed to get to the settlement and the training center quickly. "Alright, but when we come back, they're going down."

They headed back in the direction of the settlement and soon stepped into a clearing. There were a couple of venders hawking their wares to anyone who passed by, but in the center of it all stood a muscular looking Dwarf. John walked straight up and greeted him, "Hey Sten! How ya been doin?"

John extended his hand out and Sten grabbed it and shook it vigorously in what looked like a crushing grip. "Hello laddie! Good ta see ya again!"

The two of them started to talk about hunting experiences when John heard Perfyume clear her throat. "Oh! Sten, Ah want you ta meet Perfyume. She's here ta work on her warlock skills."

"Perfyume, this is Sten Stoutarm. He'll help you get started in the training yer gonna need."

Sten looked at the little gnome and with a hearty laugh said, "Well, well lassie, so you want ta be a warlock, do you? Ya look way too cute ta be studying the dark arts."

Perfyume wasn't amused. Despite the Dwarf's jovial attitude, that comment really got under her skin. Her green eyes flashed and she stared at him. "I –am—a—warlock!"

The Dwarf was unfazed by her gaze and laughed loudly. "Well, ya've got spunk, Ah'll give ya that! Alright missy, Ah'll take yer word fer it."

He then handed her a small pack, similar to the one John was using. "Here ya go, lass. Take good care of this as it's the only one yer going ta get from me. Now, I want ya ta head up ta Anvilmar, the training center up the hill and go talk with old Alamar Grim. He's the warlock trainer in these parts and He'll get ya started on your training."

"Ah'll see she gets there, Sten. Thanks fer yer help."

They then turned and headed to the training center. John could see that Perfyume wasn't in the best of spirits. "Ah know old Sten is a bit rough, but he's a good dwarf ta have as a friend when ya need one. He's helped a lot of folks who come here looking for training."

"I know, I know. Its just I'm not used to that sort of thing. I guess I need a bit of time to adjust to it."

"That's the spirit, lass!"

They entered the training center and after asking around found the location of the warlock trainer. "Ah'll be waiting over by the leather armor vender, lass."

"I'll see you when I get back."

Perfyume headed toward the magic training area. A mixture of Dwarf and Gnome students were heading to and from the training rooms. She felt a bit better seeing that not all of her kind had perished in the fall of Gnomeregan. After she had walked past several trainers, she saw a sign on a door that said, 'Warlock Training.'

She entered the room and was immediately greeted by a gnomish woman. "I'm the warlock pet trainer. You will need to see Alamar first."

Perfyume nodded her head and walked in the direction the woman was pointing. At the far side of the room was a small office. It had a hundred or so scrolls and books on its shelves along with quite a few alchemy artifacts. An elderly gnome sat at a desk with several scrolls scattered about. He was writing on one when she approached the desk. "Excuse me, I'm here to see about warlock training."

The old warlock looked up at her for a second and resumed his writing. "What makes you think you could ever be a warlock?"

At that point, all of the stress she had gone through that day came to a head and her target was going to be the Gnome sitting in front of her. "That's it! I've had about all I can stand from the likes of you! Where do you get off thinking a girl has to be some kind of ugly hag to be a warlock? What are you gonna do? Send me off to some silly convent to be a priest?

Perfyume was about to tell the old Gnome where to go, when he looked up and stared at her with eyes of steel blue. "Well, well. So you do have some fire after all. Very good young lady. Very good indeed. You passed your first test. Come over here for a moment and ill give you your first spells."

Perfyume didn't know what to say. One moment she was telling this old Gnome off, the next she is speechless. She obeyed him and after she was standing in front of him, he reached into her pack and pulled out the spell book that was inside. He wrote on a pair of entries and then returned the book to her and said, "Read these to yourself a few times. One is level one demon armor. It will offer some protection against physical attacks. The other is shadow bolt. It is your first offensive spell. It has good range and will do some good instant damage when it hits. Be mindful of the charge up time."

After a couple of minutes she said, "Okay, I'm done."

"We'll see. Cast the demon skin spell right now"

Perfyume was well aware of the demon skin spell. She had used it thousands of times in the past. It felt silly to be trying it like a little school girl, but she was determined to get her powers back. She had memorized the spell and as she worked it, she felt the old familiar warmth as the spell was activated. The air around her shimmered as the protective spell formed and settled around her. She was so happy at getting even a small piece of her warlock skills back that all she could do was jump in the air and yell, "I did it!"

"Very good, young lady. Now there is one thing more you need to do.

He reached under his desk and pulled out a robe and a pair of cloth boots. "I'll not have any of my students running around like they just came out of a bath. There is a dressing room to the left. You will dress like a proper warlock from now on, do I make myself clear?"

Perfyume was not sure why, but this particular warlock radiated a lot of authority. She decided to give him a bit of respect and nodded her head. "Yes sir."

She stood there for a moment longer. "Excuse me…."

"You may leave now. When you're ready for your next training session, come back to me and I'll work on that with you."

Perfyume stood her ground. "I'm sorry, but I have a question about warlock magic that I need to ask you."

The old warlock looked up from his desk and sighed. "All right, if it will get you out of here, then go ahead. But I'm not going to tolerate any more of your brashness in the future, understand?"

She nodded, "Yes sir."

"Alright, what is it that you want to know?"

"What would happen to a skilled warlock if she was trapped in something like mageglass for about a hundred years? Would she lose her powers?"

The old warlock looked at Perfyume closely, "Hmm. That is an interesting question. Mageglass you say? Everyone who practices magic touches it all of the time. Being separated from magic for a century might have terrible consequences. While it's possible that nothing at all would happen, it is also possible that the whole casting process may be altered for this individual. For instance, he might find that when he tries to cast a spell, another totally different spell is cast. Worse, he may have no ability to cast a spell at all.

"If he were to lose his casting ability, do you think he could somehow get it all back?"

Ah, to get it back, he would have to relearn all of the skills that were lost. There would be no other way to get it all back. It has been said that magic casting is a skill that must be used every day of a person's life if he or she wishes to become one with it. As our world changes, so does the feel of magic. Your friend would probably feel like he was in a completely different world after being away for such a long time, and if he was a caster, that too, would feel very strange. It would be a very horrible thing to endure."

"Thank you. I appreciate your time and your answer to my question."

She took the clothing and headed over to the dressing room. She was pleased to find that the clothing was warm as were the shoes. As she headed out the door, the woman stopped her and said, "Be sure you go and visit Sten on your way out. He has some jobs for you that will help in your training. He will also show you how to use the hearth stone."

She headed towards the venders to look for John. While she looked for him something caught her eye and she walked up to a vender to take a better look. There, in a shallow box with several others of various grades, was a very nice dagger. She looked at it for a moment and noted that it had a very nice handle, and the metal for the blade was better than most of the other blades on the table. The vender looked over at her for a moment, "Why don't you pick it up for a moment and feel the balance. That is a very good dagger and you'll not find one better in Coldridge."

She lifted the dagger and indeed it was very well balanced. He held it out from her and noted how comfortable it was in her hand. Deciding she liked it, "How much?"

"Well, it's probably too expensive for you right now, but I'll tell you what. If you bring me a full stack of 20 pieces of linen cloth, I'll let you have it for a single silver. How about that, missy?"

Before she could say anything, she felt a large hand on her shoulder and heard a familiar voice. "Aye, tis a fine dagger ya got there, laddie. When we get tha linens we'll come back later on."

John motioned for Perfyume to follow him. "We'll have ta get you some silver ta play with before you go and start buying nice things like that dagger. It was a nice little piece, but you're gonna need some more armor and you gotta pay for your training as well."

Perfyume sighed, "Yes your right, John. It just looked so nice and I just wanted to get something a little nicer."

Well don't worry, once we start you on a few of the assignments, you'll start raking in the gold."

They walked out of Anvilmar and down to the settlement. The sun was low on the horizon and the air was starting to get chilly. "Ah bought us some basted boar ribs back there. Right after we set up camp, we can eat and then we'll get some sleep. It's going ta be a long day tomorrow."

When they reached the campsite, John showed Perfyume how to set up a tent and how to lay out her bedroll. Once they got themselves set up, they sat down at one of the camp fires and ate a dinner of pork ribs. Perfyume noted the taste of something like hops. It wasn't bad, just different.

The sun had set and it was starting to get very cold when they finished dinner. They headed back to the tents and got ready for bed. After they had crawled in their bedrolls, John called out, "Good night, lass."

Perfyume was almost asleep, "Night…John."


	7. Training Begins

Chapter 7 – Training Begins

"Wake up, sleepyhead!" Yelled John from outside the tent.

Perfyume opened her eyes and immediately regretted it as the sunshine came through the crack in her tent flap and into her eyes. "I don't care how expensive it is, I am not going to sleep on the hard ground in a tent ever again."

After she got herself dressed, she opened the flap and peeked outside. John was busy doing something by the campfire once again. Moments later she caught a whiff of something. "Mmm, that smells pretty good. What is it?"

"Well, it's a family recipe. Ah checked with tha venders back at tha settlement and they had some eggs, so Ah'm cookin us some seasoned ham an eggs fer breakfast."

A few moments later, John served Perfyume up a plate and they both sat down and ate. After a few minutes of silence, John said, "Once we're finished, we can pack up and head over and have another talk with Sten. Ah think he has a few assignments for ya."

Perfyume continued to eat her food. "Yeah, I guess."

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing…"

John finished the rest of his breakfast and said, "Look Perfyume, Ah can see something is bothering ya right now. Ya may be a bit shy about it, but it's not gonna help ya ta keep it all bottled up. Ah may not be able ta help, but Ah'll listen ta whatever it is, and if Ah have an answer, Ah'll share it with ya."

Perfyume put her plate down and looked at her companion. "You need to understand I'm not very good at this friendship stuff. I'm a warlock and as one, I'm not supposed to have any friends."

"Lassie, Ah've told ya before that Ah think you're a fairly nice person and Ah don't really care what ya were over a hundred years ago. The world has changed a lot since then and whatever ya might have done has long since been buried."

She nodded her head, "Okay, I'll tell you. Ever since I realized that I can't cast my spells, I have been feeling depressed. John, it took me decades to master the warlock art. Decades! Yesterday I found out that I'll probably have to learn it all over again. I'm a young woman now, and I don't want to grow old learning how to be a warlock again. I've been through all of this before. The quests, the training, the pain, everything!...It's just…I don't want… to do it …all over again…."

Tears started to form and before she knew it she was crying. As she lowered her head and tried to hide her tears, John got up and walked over to where she was and sat next to her. Then he placed his huge arm around her and held her close to his side. Softly he said, "There, there lass. It'll be okay. Ya were all alone back then, but now ya got me as yer friend. Between the two of us, we aught ta be able ta get ya all trained up in no time."

She was quiet for a couple of minutes as she thought of what John had just said. "Sniff…. Okay John, I'm willing to give it a try. I don't know why but I feel a bit better now."

"That's the stuff lass! Let's get this gear in the packs and head on over there."

As John took down the tents and packed it up, Perfyume placed the few things she now had in her pack and placed John's cooking supplies in his. In no time, they were finished and heading up to the settlement. They found Sten talking to another gnome warrior. Both of them could see that this fellow had seen some serious action and was beat up pretty bad. Sten was giving him some advice. "…head on over ta the training center and just before ya get ta the warlock, you'll find a priest trainer. Tell her Ah sent ya and she'll fix ya right up."

The warrior limped off and as he did, John spoke up, "That lad looks like he tangled up with something nasty. Ah didn't know there were high level creatures running about here.

He reached out and shook hands with Sten. "How ya doin' laddie?"

Sten slapped John on the shoulder, "Real good, John!"

Sten pointed to the limping warrior. "The little lad tried ta take on the troll cave on his own. He wound up having half the cave chasing him across the valley. They roughed him up quite a bit, but from what Ah could see, he'll be ok once the priest takes care of him."

Looking down at Perfyume, he added, "And how did ya and yer friend do last night? Ah hope it wasn't too cold for ya."

Perfyume looked at John's friend for a moment and said, "I did ok thanks. It was cold as you say, but the bedrolls were warm and the tents kept the wind out. Even so, I don't want to make a habit out of sleeping in the snow. I'll take a nice warm bed in an inn any day over sleeping in a tent."

"Aye lass, Ah can't argue with ya there. The cold out here can sap the will ta live right out of ya if yer not careful."

Sten reached into his pocket before he continued. "Ah've got a couple of assignments for ya. It pays a few coppers and you'll get some experience with yer spells and weapons.

John smiled at the prospect of a bit of adventure. "What do ya got?"

We're having some difficulty with the wolves around here. They're not much of a problem because they're so young, but there has been a population explosion and Ah need ya ta kill a few for me."

John asked, "How many do ya need?"

"Twenty should thin down the pack a bit till the next season."

Perfyume raised an eyebrow slightly, "And what might the second thing you need done be?"

Sten smiled at her and said, "Well lass, we have another population boom going on here and it's even worse than the wolves. It seems a large bunch of Troggs swarmed in the past week and have settled down in the valley. If ya came across from there, ya might have seen one of their campsites. We can't have them overrunning the valley and I need ya ta chase them off. Unfortunately, Troggs don't listen too well and they only way yer gonna make them leave is ta kill off a bunch of em. Ah want ya ta kill at least fifteen of those Troggs for me. That ought to keep them away from the training center for a while."

Perfyume chuckled softly as she cracked her knuckles. "This is going to be fun."

John laughed, "Well, this ought ta be a cinch. We better get going then."

They headed off down into the valley. It wasn't long before they spotted a pack of wolves prowling between the trees. As they watched the pack, John reached into his pack and pulled out his weapon. Perfyume took one look and laughed softly. "What in the world is that thing, John? I've never seen such a ridiculous looking weapon in all my life."

"Oh yeah…that's right. Ya were asleep at the time. This is called a blunderbuss. It's a type of gun. It's used ta shoot a small lead pellet at a target ya want ta kill. Black powder, or gunpowder is stuffed here in the breach and when a flint spark hits it, the powder is ignited and the explosion pushes the pellet out the other end at great speed. It shoots faster than an arrow, but doesn't do the same amount of damage. There are bigger guns that can, though."

Perfyume could only stare at the odd looking contraption in disbelief. "My, my, what will they think of next. I've got a lot of catching up to do.

Looking at the pack of wolves, she added, "Pick a target then. When you take aim, I'll charge up a shadow bolt and hit it right after. That should take it down. If it doesn't, we still have our hand weapons. Ready?"

John nodded.

"Go!"

John took careful aim on the closest wolf. When he got a good picture of the front sight of the rifle as it covered the wolf, he squeezed the trigger. There was a very loud bang as the powder caught and moments later the wolf staggered as it was hit. It wasn't enough to take the wolf down and it turned and charged the pair. Perfyume had started to charge up a shadow bolt as soon as John fired. The wolf was just a few yards away when her spell finished and a black bolt of energy sprang from her hands and slammed into the wolf, killing it. John gave a low whistle. "Good job! That was pretty close, though. Let's have ya fire off first and Ah'll hit him with the gun and let's see how close they get then."

Perfyume nodded and looked over the pack. There was another one that was a bit closer than the others.

John reloaded his gun and when it was ready, he took aim. "Anytime yer ready, lass."

Perfyume placed one foot a bit in front of the other and spread her hands apart in the classic casters stance as she prepared her shadow bolt. Many people thought of the stance as a bit melodramatic, but for gnomes, it helps to keep them balanced as many spells have quite a kick when they go off.

When the spell was ready, she could feel the energy tingle against her fingers as its deep violet glow became unstable. There was a slight kick from the spell as it flew from her hands towards its target, leaving a trail of wasted energy in its wake. The wolf arched its back in pain as the energy charge plowed into its body and started to drain its soul. Moments later the wolf staggered in the direction towards Perfyume. It never got two steps before John's gun went off and the wolf crumpled to the ground in a heap. Perfyume smiled, "Much better! Let's finish this up."

For the next couple of hours, they concentrated on the roving packs of wolves, experimenting on ways to better take them down. By the time they had killed the twenty wolves, they had gotten a system down to where after they had both fired off their ranged weapons, they would bring their hand weapons into play. Between the two of them, any wolves that made it to close range didn't last more than a few seconds.

Perfyume smiled to herself. While she was still deeply depressed about losing all of her warlock abilities, feeling her spells starting to work again was having a very positive effect on her self esteem. As they made their way towards the Trogg camp site, she took a quick glance at her companion. "_Maybe there's something to this friendship thing after all. I'm not convinced yet, but I have to admit, his presence has made this whole nightmare a lot easier to deal with._"

Before she could go over the matter further, they had arrived at the outskirts of the Trogg camp. Snow had just started to fall and a whitish mist began to settle upon the campsite. The camp itself consisted of a weak bonfire in the center and a few randomly placed torches around the perimeter. Several Troggs had gathered at the fire itself and appeared to be cooking some unidentifiable piece of meat. Many more Troggs however were milling about the perimeter of the camp. A bit smaller, these Troggs were identical to the ones that stormed into Perfyume's bedchamber earlier. She watched as a close one reached around and started to scratch itself, most likely because of fleas.

John was about to ask Perfyume which one she wanted to hit first when he noticed she was in preparing to cast a shadow bolt. "Hang on there, lass. Ah'm not ready for ya yet."

Moments later there was a deep violet flash as her bolt shot out and slammed into the Trogg. It staggered under the effects for a moment but didn't fall down. Perfyume was building up a second bolt when it spotted her and came charging towards her with its arms raised and screaming like an enraged ape. It was several feet away when her second charge fired off and slammed into the Trogg once again. This time, the Trogg crumpled dead into the snow. John finished getting his gun ready. "These little beasties may not be very dangerous, but if ya get too cocky, ya might get hurt by one. If yer gonna try and take on one by yerself again like that, at least let me get ready first so Ah can cover ya. Ah'd really hate ta see anything happen ta ya."

"I'm sorry John. These things really piss me off. After hearing what happened to Gnomeregan and seeing you get wounded, I really want to make them feel lots of pain."

"Well lass, Ah can't blame ya for that! Let's just work doing this together and see how many we can take down. Okay, it's my turn. Ya can cover me this time."

John brought up his gun and aimed at a far off Trogg. He figured that he needed to shoot one at the far end of the range so that he would have time to reload. There was a loud bang as the first shot fired, but he didn't wait to see if he hit the Trogg. Quickly he brought the gun down and reloaded. First a measure of powder, then the ball, and then the light tamp to pack it in. By the time he fired the second time, the Trogg was almost within spitting distance. But like the first one, it too fell dead into the fresh snow. He looked over to Perfume and saw she had her dagger out and was ready. "Well lass, we know we can take em out alone, but Ah think we'd be a lot faster if we did it together like before. You fire first, and Ah'll hit em when they turn. Don't go so fast Ah don't have time to reload though."

Perfyume nodded, "With us working together, they won't know what hit them."

"Anytime yer ready, lass."

Perfyume fired off a shadow bolt at the nearest Trogg. When it screamed and charged, John hit it with his gun and killed it. John barely had time to get his gun loaded when she fired off another bolt. The Troggs didn't have a chance against that kind of teamwork and in no time, the entire perimeter of the camp was cleared out. John surveyed the carnage. "Well lass, we've more than taken our share of the beasties. All that's left are the four by the campfire. Ah'd say lets call it a day and head on back to the training center so we can get paid for our work, but Ah have a feeling ya want these as well."

Perfyume looked at her companion for a moment. "John, Gnomeregan was a wonderfully beautiful city before these brutes nearly destroyed it. I may not be able to fix my home now, but I can sure make those responsible pay for what they did to it. And yes, I want to take these out as well."

John sighed inwardly, "This isn't gonna be easy, lass. Were gonna have ta move back ta our range limit. Once we are ready, Ah'll pick a Trogg and you pick one. Ah'll give the command, and then we'll both fire at the same time. You recharge and Ah'll reload. When we fire again, all four will be right on us. Make yer last shot and switch ta yer dagger. Ah'll switch ta my axe and we'll take the last two in close combat."

John raised his gun and got a good aim on his target. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Perfyume powering up another one of her shadow bolts. When she was about ready, he double checked his aim and fired. As before, he didn't wait for the Trogg to charge, but instead rushed to reload the gun.

Perfyume had just fired off her first bolt and was recharging for the second. She had two Troggs running straight for her. The one she hit was limping and falling back a bit. As the bolt recharged she realized that when it fired, the healthy Trogg was going to be right in her face. "_I should have known better! Once this fires I'm going to be forced into close combat with a healthy opponent_."

John had his gun reloaded before Perfyume got her spell ready. He didn't have to aim as the Troggs were close enough for a hip shot. When he saw the Trogg go down he dropped the gun and pulled out his axe. In a sweeping motion he brought the axe out of its holster, over his head and straight into the remaining Trogg. The Trogg screamed in rage and tried to counter attack with its dagger, but John was ready as he brought the axe around and buried it deep into the Trogg's side.

Perfyume heard John's gun go off moments before her shadow bolt fired. The Trogg crumpled into the snow, but its partner was nearly on her. She had her dagger out in an instant and when the Trogg was in range, she ducked in low and shoved her weapon deep into its side. When she tried to pull the dagger free, the Trogg grabbed her wrist. Suddenly her eyes were filled with blinding white light as a terrible pain engulfed her. As she started to black out, she was dimly aware that she had been stabbed in the back.


	8. Wounded

Chapter 8 - Wounded

Kasandra finished cleaning up the blood on the floor. She was in her thirties and still quite young by dwarven standards. Her long dark black hair was tied in a single long braid that hung almost to her waist. She was very tired from the long day she had working to save the life of young gnomish woman. The girl was brought in by a dwarven hunter and it was obvious to all that he cared for the young woman a lot since it took several dwarven interns to remove him from the clinic while she worked. The girl had lost lot a lot of blood and it took a long time to get her wounds to heal. She reached over and checked the young woman's pulse. When she finished, she saw that the little gnome had opened her eyes. "Hello young lady. You've had quite a day. It was a bit touchy there for a while, but you're going to be ok."

"Who…where am I?"

"This is the clinic in Anvilmar. My name is Kasandra, and you are my patient. Can you tell me your name, please?"

"My name is Perfyume. Is John okay?"

"You mean the hunter? He carried you all the way here by himself. He didn't want to leave your side and we had to call in a couple of interns to persuade him to wait out front while we tended your wounds. That's quite a friend you got there."

Before Perfyume could comment, there was a knock at the door. Kasandra answered the door and after a moment laughed. "Well, well! Look who's here! Come on in laddie. You've got someone here that would like to see you."

"Hi there, lass! How are ya feelin'?"

"Hi John…."

"The priest says you can spend the night here. You should be okay by tomorrow morning and we can leave then."

"They said you carried me here…."

"Aye lass. Ya gave me quite a fright when that Trogg got you. After Ah took the beastie out, and Ah saw how bad the wound was, Ah picked ya up and carried ya here as fast as Ah could."

"That was stupid of me to think we could take out all four of them like that. I'm sorry, John."

"Don't worry about it, lass. The important thing is we got you back here and you're gonna be all right."

John placed his hand on hers for a moment. "Ah'll let ya get some sleep and when Ah get back in the morning you'll be good as new and we can get back ta yer training."

Perfyume smiled, "Okay John. I'll see you then."

After John left, Perfyume closed her eyes and peacefully fell asleep.

The next day, she awoke to the sound of John talking with Kasandra. "She's going to be fine. I checked her out last night and she's almost as good as new. Just don't let her get wounded in the same place for a while. The mend is fresh and if it's damaged to soon it will leave an ugly scar."

"Aye, Ah'll try and see that she's careful, but she can be real stubborn when she wants ta."

Kasandra noticed Perfume stretching. "Well, I see you're awake. Ready to face the world again?"

Perfyume sat up on the edge of the low bed. "Mmm. I had a great night's sleep. Thank you."

John headed for the door. "Ah'll wait out here for ya ta get dressed. Let me know when yer ready ta go."

After John left, Kasandra gave Perfyume her clothes and left the room for a few minutes. When she had returned, Perfyume finished getting her robe and boots on. Kasandra handed her the backpack. "Take it easy for a while. After a few days, you'll be healed fully and you won't have to worry about it."

She hesitated before continuing, "And take care of that hunter. You may not know it, but you've got quite a friend there."

Perfyume nodded, "Yeah, he is at that."

She put the backpack on. "Thanks again."

"Don't mention it, lass. Just try to be a bit more careful, okay?"

"Don't worry. I don't want to go through anything like that again."

Perfyume waved to the priest and walked out the door. She saw John sitting on a bench in hall, so she walked over and sat next to him. "I'm all set. Are you ready to get back out there?"

"First, you need ta see Sten and your warlock trainer. But before we go there, Ah want ta give ya something."

John pulled out a small wad of cloth. "Here. There's something inside that cloth ya might need when we go back out."

Perfyume was puzzled, but she accepted the rolled cloth anyway. "What the devil could this be?"

When she unrolled it, there inside was a dagger. Just the right size for her, it had a silver handle and the razor sharp blade had a slight curve to it. She instantly recognized the dagger as the one she had seen earlier at the vender. "John! How did you get this? That vender said he wanted a bunch of linen cloth and a bit of silver for it. We might have had the silver, but I know we didn't have any of that linen."

"Well lass, while we were killing all of those Troggs, Ah was checking the bodies. Ah found more than enough cloth and a bit of copper as well. Once Ah was sure you were gonna ta be okay, Ah went over and bought the dagger."

She picked up the dagger and felt its balance. As before, it seemed to have been made for her hand. "Th-thank you, John. I don't know what to say. It's been a very long time since anyone has ever bought me something nice like this."

John gave her a big smile, "Think nothing of it, lass! Ya more than earned it yesterday against the wolves and those Troggs."

He then gave her a wink, "Besides, Ah kinda miss my old skinning knife and that old Trogg dagger just isn't cutting it, if ya know what Ah mean."

She chuckled a bit at the little joke of John's and while she did, he broke into a typical dwarven laugh. She found herself laughing as well. After a minute she wiped her eyes, "I haven't laughed like that since I was a kid. You're just full of surprises, aren't you?"

"Well lass, ya gotta unwind sometimes. Just being sour all yer life will only get ya old faster. A good hearty laugh now and then will help keep ya young."

Thinking for a moment, she got up and as best she could, gave her friend a quick hug. "Thanks…for everything."

While her companion was still blushing, she hopped down and reaching to her side, she pulled out his skinning knife. Handing it over to John, she took the new dagger and sheathed it. "Alright John, lets go see your friend, Sten."

He pulled old Trogg dagger out and put it in his pack and then sheathed the skinning knife she had given him. "We might be able ta sell that one for a few coppers. Sten should also have a nice reward for ya."

When they stepped out of the training center they found that the weather had gotten nasty. It was snowing and the wind was blowing. When Sten saw them approaching he yelled through the wind, "Ah was about ta head inside. It's getting too cold out here even for me!"

John shook his hand and said, "We just wanted ta turn in yer quests and see what else ya had for us ta do."

"Ya got them done? Good job!"

Sten handed them some copper coins and a pair of cloth gloves and a cloak. "This aught ta help keep ya warm if ya have ta go out any more. Also, Ah want ya ta head over ta the outpost and visit with Talin Keeneye. He has a quest or two for ya over there as well."

John slapped his friend on the back, "Thanks a lot, laddie."

As they walked back to the training center, she put on her new gloves and cloak. "Much better. These are doing a fair job of keeping the cold out. We might be able to visit the outpost later today if you're willing."

"We'll see, lass. First you need ta get on over ta yer warlock trainer."

Perfyume smiled, "That's right! I may get another spell!"

"Hey, before you go, Ah almost forgot."

John reached into his coat pocket for a second. "While we were taking out those Troggs, Ah noticed this little box on one of them. It didn't look like something the beasties would normally keep, so Ah placed it in my pocket. While you were sleeping, Ah asked around and someone told me that Warlocks need them."

She accepted took the box from him and opened it. Inside there were three feather charms. "They look familiar, but I can't recall what they could be used for. I'll keep them handy anyway. Thanks John."

John gave her a huge grin and waved as she turned and headed to the trainers. Turning to the venders, he looked for someone to deal with.

She was almost running as they made their way to the training center. Once she entered the warlock training room, she was met by the warlock pet trainer she had seen when she first came in. "Hi. You're Perfyume, right? You were in here a couple of days ago to talk with Alamar. My name's Wren Darkspring. When you get your imp, I'll help you get it trained to serve you better. I heard you got banged up pretty bad yesterday and I'm glad to see your doing better."

Perfyume smiled at the little trainer. "Thanks. I'll let you know when I learn how to call an imp."

She turned and headed to the office of her trainer. As before, he was busy studying a stack of old scrolls on his desk. Perfyume had learned to be a bit wary of the old warlock and tried to be as polite as she could. "Good morning sir. I'm ready for my next level of training."

The old gnome studied his scrolls for a good minute before looking up at her. "So you think you've gained enough experience for a new spell, do you? We'll see what you can learn. Cast up a demon shield…Now!"

Perfyume was a bit startled buy his order, but quickly cast her shield. He walked over to her and inspected the shimmer of her demon shield. He placed a stone up against her in different places and as he did, the shield shimmered and rippled as if it were a pool of water being hit by a pebble. "Hand me your spell book."

Perfyume handed him her spell book and after he took it, he opened it up on his desk and started to write in it. After a few moments, he said, "You are doing fairly well, missy. I can see that your demon shield has increased in its power by a couple of levels. Your progress is such that I am going to be able to give you immolate as well as the spell that allows you to call on an imp for your protection. Immolate is a short casting spell that will deliver a bit of fire damage right after you cast it, but will continue doing damage over time. But before I give you the imp summoning spell, I require you to bring me something."

Perfyume nodded, "What do you need?"

"I will require three feather charms."

Perfyume blinked, "Fe-feather charms?"

"Yes, you can find them on the trolls near their cave to the south. Bring those to me and I'll set you up with your imp spell."

Perfyume couldn't believe her luck. She pulled out the small box John had given her minutes before, "Pardon me sir, but will these do?"

The old warlock looked up at her and raised one eyebrow, "Eh? You have them already? Well now, that's what I like to see, an eager student willing to go that extra mile. Very good! Let me see that book again."

She handed him the book and he made a few more notes in it and then he handed it back to her, "I've also thought a bit more on your question a few days ago. I think that if a caster were to be separated from magic for a century as you say, it might change his or her personality. A warlock may find himself without the drive that made him a warlock to begin with. He would have to re-learn not only the magic, but the warlock personality."

He paused for a moment, "Now, take your spell book over to Wren Darkspring. She is going to show you how to call your imp and give you some pointers."

After thanking him she walked over to where wren was busy reading a scroll. "Hi again. It looks like you get to see me again after all. I have the spell to call an imp now."

Wren looked up from here work, "That's great. If you've memorized your spell, go ahead and call him up."

Perfyume nodded and cast the spell that would summon the imp. Unlike her normal spells, there was no nice cool feeling when she cast the summon spell. In fact, it was almost depressing. Suddenly, there was a bubbling sound followed by noisy chatter as her imp materialized in the room. Perfyume walked up to the glowing imp and said in a voice of authority, "I am your master. While you are in my world you will obey me. If you fail to do so, I will make your life an eternity of pain. Understood?"

The imp nodded its head. Wren smiled approvingly, "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were an old pro at this. Very good."

Perfyume turned and looked at Wren, "Thank you. I've…always wanted to summon an imp, and so I studied what I could about them."

"I see. It's always good to read up on the subjects you are interested in. Well then, we're done for now. Each time you come in to visit Alamar, come over and see me so that we can train your imp. Right now he can only shoot off a few fireballs."

After they said their good byes, Perfyume left the room to go look for John. Before she got very far she dismissed the imp. "The next time we do a quest, I'm going to surprise the heck out of John!"

After a bit of looking, she found him over at the same leather vender she left him with the other day. "Have you been here all this time?"

"Aye lass. Ah've been trying ta get this lad here ta drop his price on some boots, but he won't hear it."

"Find something you like?"

John held up a nice pair of hand stitched leather boots. "Aye, that Ah did. But they're a few silvers out of my price range."

"Well, once we get a few more quests done, we should be able to make enough silver for you to get what you need."

John looked at Perfyume and noticed for the first time that she was smiling. "Ya know, lass, yer absolutely right. Between you and me, we should be able ta get enough silver ta outfit the both of us in no time!"

She smiled again, "Well then, what are we waiting for. Let's get going, shall we?"

By the time they had stepped outside it had stopped snowing and the sun was breaking though the clouds. The air was crisp with the scent of pine, and fresh snow sparkled in the sunlight. John smiled at the sight and said, "What ever old Keeneye wants us ta do, Ah hope it doesn't have anything ta do with troggs."

Perfyume looked over at her friend, and suddenly did something she hadn't done in many years. She giggled. Horrified at her display of gnomish cutesiness she quickly put her hand over her mouth and glanced over at her friend. John smiled at her and then broke out in a hardy laugh as they headed out into the valley.


	9. Discovery

Chapter 9 – Discovery

She set her pile of mail on the table and gently sat down. A little over two hundred years old now, the white haired gnomish woman was feeling the years of her age. She scanned through the mail quickly, "This is what I get for not checking more often. It's amazing how much junk mail can pile up."

She wore her hair straight and it extended to about half way down her back. Her face showed her years with quite a few wrinkles around her eyes. Her eyes themselves were green and large, but still had a lot of sparkle to them. As old as she was, it was well known that she liked to play a prank or two on her friends. Her staff was simple and made of a light colored wood adorned at the top with a plain looking ball of glass. On her feet she wore only a pair of comfortable sandals. It was her robe, however, that identified her as a high level mage. Made of a fine silk, it looked more like a dress than a mage's robe. Forged by a master tailor of great skill, it increased her magical abilities by several degrees and gave her considerable protection against physical attacks as well. Not near as powerful as hard armor, it was never the less powerful enough to be called an Epic.

A sudden slam of a large mug of ale on her table got her attention. Frowning at first, she looked up to see who had intruded into her private time. Within moments of looking, her frown turned into a smile as she recognized the perpetrators. Both were humans in their twenties. The young man was a paladin and was nearing the peak of his abilities. A clean cut sort of guy with black hair and a trim goatee, he wore some impressive plate armor. The young woman on the other hand was practitioner of the dark arts of the warlock sect. Her dark brown hair flowed down to her shoulders and her face, while very beautiful, was also very mysterious. Her red and black robe was common for the higher warlocks, but it was well known among her friends that she kept her powerful Epic armor ready when needed. "Hi B'jack. Hi Cartier. Well, well, what have you two been up to lately?"

They both took a seat and B'jack looked at the old woman across from him, "You know how it is. Kill a bunch of creatures…..grab all the gold….Come back to the inn….Drink lots and lots of ale….flirt with all the cute la—Ouch!

Cologne chuckled as Cartier elbowed B'jack in the ribs. It was common to see the two kid around with each other. "Careful there, B'jack. You don't want to get Cartier upset enough to sic her succubus on you again."

B'jack laughed nervously, "Yeah….So Col, whatcha doin? Looks like you got a lot of junk mail too."

"Yes, it seems like everyone is trying to make a gold these days."

She noticed a different sort of envelope in the pile and picked it up. When she turned it over, it was sealed with the mark of the Coldridge Valley Medical Office. "That's odd. Why in the world would they be sending me a letter for?"

She popped the seal and opened the envelope. Inside was a single sheet of paper that read:

Dear Cologne,

A couple of weeks ago, we had an individual come in here that was pretty banged up. We took care of her and sent her on her way. As per procedure, we recorded her name in our medical records so that if she ever came by again, we would know how to take care of her. Much to our amazement, we found that she already had a file with instructions to contact you if she were to ever come by. What was even more astonishing was the fact that the instruction to call you was over one hundred years old. We know that gnomes live to be quite old, but this woman, she called herself Perfyume, was only about twenty years old. The odd thing was that even though she looked young, she had white hair.

If you have any questions, please write to me.

Kasandra

Head Priest

Coldridge Valley Medical Office

Cologne's hands suddenly shook as she finished reading the letter. "No! It can't be!"

Cartier looked at her friend with concern, "Hey Col, is everything alright?"

B'jack put down his ale, "Yeah, man! You look like you've just seen a ghost."

Cologne looked up from the paper and at her friends. "If this letter is correct, it's a lot worse than any ghost we ever ran across."

Cartier frowned, "What do you mean, Col?"

"Many years ago, I was part of a secret operation that was designed to prevent a terrible war. During that operation, and against the wishes of the high counsel, I imprisoned a powerful warlock in mageglass instead of putting her to death. According to this letter, she may have escaped."

Cartier raised an eyebrow. Being a warlock herself, it bothered her that something could imprison her. "What is mageglass? I've never heard of it."

"It's the result of a spell that can be cast on an individual. It places them in stasis and if it is not disturbed, it can hold a person indefinitely. You don't hear about it much because the regents are almost impossible to come across. One in particular comes from a rare plant that blooms only once in the one hundred years of its life. When the mageglass spell is cast, it encases the target in what appears to be glass-like stone. If left undisturbed, it can last forever. But if struck correctly, it can shatter like glass, hence its name"

"B'jack looked at his friend, "Whoa! Just a minute! You, Cartier and me have been on dozens of adventures and I've never seen you back off from a bad guy. When someone threatens us; I tank em, Cartier jumps em with her damage, and you chuck a big old fireball at their butts. Why would you go through all the trouble to make something like mageglass, when you have spells that work so much better?"

"You're right. We could have gone in and just killed her. It would not have been that difficult to have just gathered enough manpower to just go in and take her out before it was too late."

"So why didn't you?"

Cologne looked at her friends and then down at the paper in her hands, "I couldn't kill her because she was…."

B'jack held his mug up to take a drink as he looked at Cologne, "She was what?"

Cologne closed her eyes, "She was my mother."

He slammed the mug down on the table and started to choke on the ale he had swallowed down the wrong pipe, "What?"

Cartier looked at her friend, "You can't be serious, Col. Are you saying the high council sent you on a secret mission to kill your own mother?"

Cologne nodded, "Yes, it's true. It was either that, or suffer from a war of global proportions."

Cartier shook her head in disbelief, "How in the world could one woman cause a global war? Without the backing of an entire nation, it wouldn't be possible to even attempt such a thing."

B'jack got his voice back, "Yeah Col. How could she possibly get that many people to follow her in to a war like that? The gnomes have never been warlike, even in ancient times."

Cologne looked around at the emptying inn. "Okay, I'll tell you about it, but before I do, I want your word that this won't be told to a single soul. I also want your agreement to come along when I go to investigate what is going on in Coldridge."

B'jack looked at her for a moment, "You're starting to worry me now. Alright, I give my word not to tell a living sole about this. I just hope I'm not going to regret it.

"Don't worry, B'jack, if everything's ok, we'll have a nice trip and you can sample some of the great dwarven beers down there. If she's gotten out, we'll be in for the fight of our lives. It'll be just like old times."

B'jack laughed out loud, "Well in that case, count me in!"

She turned towards Cartier, "I'd like you to come along as well. As you heard, it's going to be quite dangerous if we find she has escaped. But I'm going to need your expertise as a warlock to help combat her if we have to deal with her face to face."

Cartier looked at her friend for a moment, "We all go back a long time, Cologne. There were times when we got beat up pretty bad, but we got beat up together. If this is as dangerous as you say, I'm not going to let you go it alone. You have my word that your secret will be safe with me, and that I will be joining you."

Cologne smiled at her two friends. She then reached across the table and picked up her mug of ale, "Thank you, guys. To adventure then!"

Cartier picked up her mug of ale and clinked it against Cologne's, "To adventure, and our safe return"

B'jack let out a hearty laugh and clanked his mug against the two caster's mugs, "I'll drink to that!"

When he finished the mug, he set it down, "So Col, let's hear what happened."

She checked the now empty inn and looked at them both, "Alright. This all started about one hundred and fifty years ago….


	10. Love And Revenge

Chapter 10 – Love and Revenge

Cologne begins her tale, "This all started about one hundred and fifty years ago. I was just a little girl back then and my mother and father worked together in the Gnomeregan University, training young gnomes in the arts of the warlock and the mage. My father was the mage as you might have guessed. And while mages and warlocks seem to dislike each other, my parents loved each other enough to overcome those problems. In fact, it was almost impossible to separate them from each other. We were very happy back then and it seemed like those good times would last forever.

Then came that knock at the door late one night. My mother answered the door and three dwarven military officers greeted her. They exchanged polite greetings between each other and mom invited them to come inside the house and have a seat. Mom seemed to know them pretty well because she was very relaxed around them, but when father came into the room it all changed. He was not happy at all. Father was raising his voice and waving his arms about. This went on for several minutes until he eventually calmed down. Father, mother and the three men talked for quite a while after that and from what I could gather, they wanted father to go with them on a dangerous mission to retrieve an important artifact from the Dark Iron Dwarves. This artifact apparently had something to do with the ability to control the minds of certain members of the dragonkin. After several more hours of discussion, father agreed to help with the expedition. Mom was very concerned about him going along and even though father didn't really want to make the trip, he convinced her that it was going to be a quick job. Later that night, father packed up his stuff and said good bye to mom and me. It was the last time we ever saw him.

We waited for several weeks after that night, and mom became very worried. Then one day, while mom was teaching a pair of students, a pair of ranking dwarven military officers came to her class to talk with her. They said that there had been no word from the expedition and that they were going to send in a recon force to see if they could find any clues to the whereabouts of the expedition.

Three weeks later the recon force returned with one of the members. He was barely alive and badly wounded with his right hand and foot missing. Barely able talk, he said that the expedition had been ambushed early on, with several dragonkin attacking them from all sides and no where to go. Two of the dwarves were taken out by the kin and eaten by the monsters early in the fight. Father was quick enough to avoid the snapping jaws for a while, but when he ran out of manna, he was impaled on the talons of a huge dragon and crushed. The dwarf said that he escaped a similar fate by hiding in a crack in a piece of solid rock. Even so, there was enough of his hands and feet sticking out for one of the dragons to bite off as it attempted to get at him.

As you can imagine, mom was devastated by the loss of her husband. They had lived together for many years and she felt that something vital had been ripped from her soul. Within months of being told the news, mom started to become distant to everyone around her, including me. She quit talking to all of her friends and locked herself in her room. When I did get to talk with her, I found that she had started to blame the dwarves for the loss of her husband. She refused to see any of our old dwarven friends and was very rude when they came by for a visit. Eventually they stopped coming by altogether.

One day I came home to find her packing her clothes. She told me that she was going on a trip and would not be back for a long while, possibly a couple of years. When I asked her why, she said that it was to further her knowledge of the warlock arts. Then she suddenly reached out and gave me a warm hug. It had been a long time since mom had hugged me and it made me feel good to be close to her once again. If I had known then that it would be one of the last times, I would never have let her go.

After she had gone, I transferred to the mage center in Stormwind. For the next fifteen years I studied hard to improve my mage skills to the fullest. I wasn't quite finished when I got word that my mother was seen in Ironforge. I was so glad to hear that mom was back that I immediately traveled to the dwarven city to search for her. It took a while, but eventually I found her in an old run down apartment in the forlorn caverns. I was quite disturbed by what I saw. She had aged physically to the point of looking like an old woman. When I approached her, she told me to stay back or she would turn her pet on me. It was then I noticed the felhunter staring intently at me. She told me that she had been training and needed to study several scrolls that she had picked up. She also told me that if I wanted to avoid serious pain, I was not to bother her again.

As you can imagine, I was devastated by my mother's treatment towards me. I obeyed her wishes though, and kept out of her hair while she studied her scrolls. I did however, keep tabs on her from a distance. I had a good friend in Ironforge who showed me where she would go to grab a bite to eat when she was hungry. I caught sight of her now and then and so I was at least content to know she was ok. One day I was waiting to see if mom was going to be at her usual place to have lunch. Suddenly there was a tap on my shoulder and when I turned to look, my mom was standing right next to me. I thought she was going to be angry with me, but she told me that she understood why I had to keep watch on her. Then she told me that she was saying good-bye and that she wouldn't be back for a very long time, if ever. When I moved to get up from my chair, she placed a hand on my shoulder and told me to stay where I was. A low growl from her ever present felhunter convinced me to stay seated. She then told me that I was not to come looking for her. Before I could say another word, she turned and walked away. Her pet waited until she was out of sight before it ran off after her. It was nearly an hour before I had stopped shaking enough to finally get up and walk to my little apartment.

The next day I moved back to the mage's quarters in Stormwind. There I continued my studies and eventually finished all of the requirements. From there, I moved back to Gnomeregan to study more of the arcane arts in the form of ancient scrolls in the library. It was almost five years later that I heard some information on my mother. A ship hand was working the crow's nest when he saw an old woman that looked a lot like mother standing on the deck. As the ship headed out into the ocean, he noticed that she had a strange look about her as if she was in some kind of a trance. The ship had gone quite a ways out to sea when he saw the woman suddenly get up and walk to the edge of the boat. Before he could do anything, she jumped overboard. By the time the ship had turned around to pick her up, there was no sign of her.

That was the last I had heard of mom for almost sixty years. By then, I had given up hope and was convinced that she had died in the sea. One day while I was shopping for some tailoring supplies, I felt someone grab me on my arm. I turned and found an ancient woman staring up at me. She had snow white hair that stood up from her head in all direction like some kind of dried out mop. Her hands were bony and covered with age spots and looked very fragile. Her face was covered in wrinkles and warts, but I could see that her eyes still sparkled with a green brilliance.

I asked the woman if there was anything I could do for her, and in response, she laughed at me in strange sounding cackle. The old woman then asked why I didn't recognize her. The moment she spoke, I knew that it was my mother. While she had aged greatly, her speech and mannerisms had remained the same. I was so happy to see her again! Without thinking, I reached out and grabbed her in a big hug. To my surprise she didn't protest. Tears began to form in my eyes and she soothed me by returning the hug. I wanted to ask her where she had been all of this time, but the tears burned in my eyes and my throat was too choked up.

Later when I had calmed down a bit, I asked her again where she had been all this time. She said that it was none of my concern and that she was going to be staying at home from now on. After we chatted a bit more, she asked me if I could find a few regents for her. She was working on a spell that would help with her aging health. Of course I said yes and she handed me a list of ingredients that she needed. It was a long list, but I didn't question her need for it. After a little over a week, I finally got all of the regents together for her. Some of them were a bit expensive, but at the time, I really didn't care about that as long as it would help out mom.

She told me that she had moved back into the old house over in Coldridge Valley and so I went there to give her the regents. I hadn't been there in many years and was surprised to see it hadn't changed much. Someone had cleaned up the old place and it looked better than I could remember. When I greeted her, she was very grateful for the regents. We talked for a while and I noticed that my mom seemed more cheerful than I had seen her in a very long time. The old fire was burning in her eyes once again and she seemed very energetic for a woman of her age. I was very happy for her when I left.

Two days later, I received a summons to the high council in Stormwind. They have disbanded since then, but back in those days, the high council oversaw most of the human and dwarven military matters. I was totally unprepared for what they told me when I arrived. I was greeted by an old paladin by the name of George Marcus when I got there and he led me to the council chambers. On the way he warned me that times are very tense now and to anger the members of the council would be dangerous.

Unsure of exactly what he meant, I entered the chamber and was greeted by three older men and two older dwarves. There was a single chair placed in front of them and one of the dwarves told me to have a seat. After a few moments the oldest of the humans spoke to me and said that a few days ago they had received a startling letter from one of their most trusted members. In it she detailed a ghastly plan in which the city of Ironforge was to be enslaved by an extremely powerful warlock. This warlock had discovered the secret to summoning multiple minions. In addition to that, her succubae were able to enslave multiple victims with an enchantment that did not wear off like it normally does. Using this power, she was going to attack the city of Ironforge and its leadership. Any resistance would be quickly squashed by her army of demons and their new slaves. From there she planned to attack Dun Mordogh and the Wetlands. Her enchanted armies would fight to the death without hesitation.

He told me that Stormwind and Ironforge were quietly gathering their armies and preparing for war, but with my help, they might be able to stop it before it started. I was of course shocked by all this. I had no idea what in the world I could do against a warlock that could weld such power. The old man then said that I had the ability to stop her because I was her daughter. I told him that he was crazy and that there was no way a feeble old woman like my mother could be capable of such a thing.

He then produced a list of regents and asked me if I had picked them up for her. I recognized them and said that I did. Then he pulled out a scroll describing what was called a youth spell. Casting it would transform a person from any age to about twenty years old. Unfortunately, it didn't say how the spell was cast, but only that it existed and that it needed certain regents.

I wasn't convinced, casting a spell that made a person young did not make that person a power hungry warlord. The old man nodded and three night elves walked into the chamber. Two of then I didn't know, but the third I recognized as Nightystar, a powerful elfin priestess that was well known for her insight. She looked at me and said that she was very sorry, but all that the council leader had stated was quite true. She then told me of how a young elf was tricked into gathering information about Ironforge for her. He did this for her and when he was finished, he made the mistake of asking her why she needed the information. She told him that she was going to take over Ironforge and enslave the population. The young elf grew afraid and when he tried to run, she summoned five succubae and commanded them to attack. The demons tortured him for many hours before eventually tossing his nearly lifeless body out into the snow to die.

As luck would have it, a dwarven priest came across the elf and administered first aid. He was still in really bad shape, but he was able to flag down a traveling vender and get him to a clinic. As the young man started to come to, he began to rant on and on about some kind of horrible danger. Nightystar was visiting the clinic to check up on an old friend, when she was called over to look at the stricken youth. She found him to be almost insane and thrashing about on a cot. The attendants had bound him to the bed to prevent him from hurting himself. Nightystar was able to help him with his physical injuries, but his mental injuries were tearing him apart. She used a potion to calm him enough so that she could talk with him. For the first time, he was able to talk fluently, and told her of what the warlock was planning to do and what she did to him. Suddenly the young man began to violently thrash about on the bed again. He let out a terrible scream and arched his back as if the bed were on fire. Moments later, he died. His mind had been destroyed and there was nothing she could do for him.

I nodded my head. This was not good. If a warlock had become this powerful, even if she was my mother, she would have to be stopped. The two elves that were standing behind Nightystar came forward. One spoke and said that the one that had been killed was their son, Jarel, and that they would help me in any way that was needed. The old man spoke up and said that the two elves, Janel and Mahtee were among the best Elvin rouges in the world today and as a team would be able to get me into her quarters undetected.

Then they told me that after my mother had started the youth spell on herself, I was to kill her while she slept. They then dismissed me. The four of us walked out of the chamber and Nightystar came up to me and hugged me close. I was bawling my head off by then and buried my face into her robes as I did. She comforted me and quietly told me there was another way that I might be able to do this without killing my mother. She said that there was a very complex spell that could be used to stop my mother without killing her. It would encase her in a glass like stone and keep her in stasis. Also, she could be revived simply by breaking the stone a certain way and there would be few side effects.

It didn't take me long to decide that this was a much better choice. Although I certainly didn't want to entomb my mother in stone, it was a thousand fold better than having to kill her. I told Nightystar that I agreed to her plan and she told me to meet her in her apartment in the mage quarter just after midnight and she would show me how to cast the spell.

I left and for the next few hours, I just walked about the city, not caring where I wound up. At one time, while watching a father and son fish in the canal I got so depressed that I went to my own apartment and took a nap. When I awoke it was an hour before midnight and so I cleaned up, had a quick cup of tea and headed over to see Nightystar.

She was waiting for me when I arrived and after inviting me in to her home, had me sit down at a table with her. The table was covered with many different regent and had a few sheets of paper placed here and there. She handed me the papers and said that they were for the 3 potions that I would have to create. One had to be used within a few hours after it was mixed. The fourth sheet detailed the actual spell and how it was cast. She then told me that the directions had to be followed to the letter and any mistake made may cause my mother great pain and even death. She also to told me to be extremely careful with the black death blossom as that flower is very rare and only blooms in the presence of undisturbed rotting dead.

I thanked her for all of her help and after carefully gathering all of the regents and papers, started to head home. Just before I left, she told me that in about four days my mother will be casting her youth spell and I would be summoned by a warlock along with the two elves I had met earlier. For the next four days I worked on memorizing the spell and getting the regents ready. The final potion Nightystar told me of couldn't be mixed until just before I cast it, but I had all of the exact amounts ready in vials when the time came.

On the fourth day I was greeted with the tingling feeling you get when a warlock attempts to summon you. I quickly gathered my supplies and spell regents and then mentally agreed to the summons. There was the typical grey fuzziness and after a few moments I was standing before a warlock and the two elves, Janel and Mahtee. I thanked the warlock and she took off down the road. I turned to my companions and asked if my mother was home. They said she wasn't yet, but she would be here very shortly and we had to hurry and get to her sleeping quarters.

I nodded and walked forward and tested the lock. It was similar to other high security locks in that you placed your hand inside a box and pressed a series of four buttons under your fingers. AI pressed in the combination and the door opened. After we entered and relocked the door, we made our way to the bed chamber. The two elves looked over the room and pointed to a corner. The three of us walked into the corner and stood while the elves cast their cloaking. In moments I felt as if I was covered in a dark grey mist. Summer had told me earlier that both elves carried a wand that allowed them to not only go into stealth mode, but to stealth someone next to them. I could see the room but it was as if a heavy fog had formed inside the bedchamber.

I knew that what I was planning had to work as I had seen the bags full of heavy bombs the elves carried. Should I fail, there were more than enough explosives to destroy the house and burry it under stone and dirt. We hadn't waited long before we heard noises as mom enter the house. A few minutes later she walked into the room and I held my breath fearing that she would see us. I soon relaxed a bit as I watched her go about getting her spell ready. She was wearing a violet necro-robe that I hadn't seen before. As old as she was, it seemed to flow with her body as she moved about the room.

First she placed a small incense burner on one of the night stands. Then she walked over to her dressing table and mixed up a potion and set it down. After that, she carefully sketched out a series of runes on the floor with a piece of charcoal. It was a circle with the six known elements arranged around it with one in the center. Oddly, the center one, time was drawn backwards. I watched her draw this circle around her bed and was a little surprised as she crawled under the bed to draw some of sketch. When she was finished, she inspected every part of the drawing making small corrections as she went along.

She then went over to the table and picked up the potion. It was a very old goblet. She said a few things I couldn't quite hear, and then walked over and placed the potion on the night stand. Then she went to the incense burner and lit it. Once it was burning, she took a deep breath and inhaled some of its vapors.

Then she walked around to the other night stand and picked up the goblet with the potion. I listened as she said a few words in a language I had never heard before and then watched as she drank the entire contents of the goblet. She gasped and seemed to shake from the effects from the potion. I assumed that it had quite a kick.

She then climbed on top of her bed and lay down. After a few moments she reached into her robe and pulled out an old wand. It looked like the wooden sticks the druids used for wands, but this one glowed a bit. Again she spoke in a language I didn't recognize as she cast the final parts of her spell. Once it was cast and she was asleep, the runes on the floor stopped glowing and I knew that we were safe to do our part. The two rouges lifted their cloak and I stepped forward.

For a moment I hesitated as I gazed on my mother's sleeping form. A muffled cough from behind reminded me of the work I needed to do. I placed the regents on the bed next to my mother and first gathered the several vials I had prepared earlier. After pouring them inside a larger vial I stirred them up until they were well mixed. I then took the black lotus powder and carefully poured in an exact measurement while watching the vial. When the liquid in the vial turned orange, I stopped. Reaching inside my robe I carefully took out a wooden shaft about as long as my arm with a gem on one end. I then placed this next to the potion I had just made.

Taking one of the potions I had made earlier, I sprinkled it on top of my mother's sleeping form. It was a powder and it glowed softly in a soft blue light as it settled on her. I then took the stick and dipped the end into the potion with the black lotus. I moved to a place near the ground and pulled the stick out of the potion. When I pulled the stick out, the gem now glowed a bright orange and small sparks could be seen. I used the stick to trace out the shape of a box around the bed. It was very strange, for everywhere I moved the stick, a glowing orange line followed, even in the air. Soon I was finished tracing out the line. I took the final bottle and raised it over my head. I had to spray the liquid over my mother like a soft rain. The bottle had a bulb on it and as I squeezed it, a mist sprayed out and floated over the bed. As it did, it changed colors and filled the area I had traced out earlier. After a while the box I had traced out was completely full of a swirling bluish mist.

I then moved to a safe distance and prepared a mage spell. In a few moments, I built up enough energy and cast an Iceblock over her. After a while, the ice block faded leaving a large block of stone in its place. We inspected the stone and once we were satisfied that it was solid, gathered the regents and left. The rouges were careful to reset all of mother's locks the way she had them as we made our way out of the house. Lastly, I sealed the entrance. We rode back to Stormwind by griffin and reported to the council shortly after. They seemed content that my mother was now dead and allowed us to leave. For the past one hundred years my mother has slept in that stone. It has been an eternity for me having to live with the shame of what I had to do to her. But even so, I hope that she is still there and encased in that block of mageglass, because if she has escaped, we all may be in terrible danger."


	11. Journey Begins

Chapter 11 – Journey Begins

Cologne took a long drink from her mug of ale and waited for her friend's response. B'jack was the first to speak up, "Dang Col! I'm still having a hard time believing that the war council would ask you to go and do that to your own mom. Hell, they only had someone's word that she was gonna start a war and they used that as a basis for sending you out to snuff her. Man, that just plain sucks!"

He reached over and grabbed his mug, "I'm gonna get a refill. I'll be back in a sec."

When he was out of earshot, Cartier reached over and placed her hand on Cologne's arm, "I'm really sorry, Col. You've been keeping this to yourself all this time and haven't told a soul till now?"

Cologne nodded, "Yeah, telling you guys the story brought it all back to me again. You'd think that after one hundred years I might have gotten used to the idea, but no. Every time I'm reminded of her, the whole thing comes back to me like it was yesterday."

"Don't worry, B'jack and I will be with you one hundred percent. We will find your mom and get to the bottom of this if it's the last thing we ever do."

"Thanks, Cartier. I really appreciate it."

Cologne thought for a moment more before going on, "We're going to have to get going to Coldridge Valley pretty soon. Once you and B'jack have your stuff together, we can start. It shouldn't take too long to get to the house."

Cartier raised an eyebrow for a second, "I've never seen your parents home, Col. What's it like?"

"Well, it is a lot like most of the dwarven homes over there, built of stone and underground. To get to the entrance you climb up a ridge almost as far as Gnomeregan. Once you get up the ridge, the front entrance of the house is visible. It looks typical of the houses against the mountains, and when you get inside, there is a small family room where guests can come and talk. But there is also a spiral staircase that takes you down three stories to the main quarters. There we had the main living room, the library, the bedrooms, the kitchen and the bath. Father was a bit of a security nut and the house was built like a fortress. The staircase alone has 4 sets of doors that could be locked to prevent anyone from gaining access to the main rooms below. On top of that, each bedroom door could be locked as well."

"I can't wait to check it out. It sounds like a nice place you and your parents had there."

"It's been sitting for just a little over a hundred years now. There's going to be a lot of dust everywhere when we get there. I only hope…."

Cologne was interrupted as B'jack suddenly banged 3 huge mugs of ale on the table, "We can't go on a big quest without drinking to our health!"

Cologne stared at the huge mug sitting in front of her and turned to B'jack, "Are you nuts? That thing is almost as big as me! I'll drown if I try to drink all of that!"

Cartier laughed softly for a moment at her friends. Reaching over, she poured some of the big mug into Cologne's smaller mug. Cologne gave her a big smile, "Thanks Cartier. I don't know what I'd do without you sometimes. Alright you two, lets toast.

She raised her mug up and said, "To victory!"

Cartier clinked her mug up against the smaller one and said, "To a successful quest. May we return to toast together once again."

B'jack looked over at his friend and said, "Aw, come on Cart! It's not that bad. Together we're an unbeatable team and it's not like anything really bad is gonna happen to us. Lighten up and relax a bit."

He then clanked his mug against his friend's mugs and said, "To adventure!"

Then he raised the mug and without stopping, drank the whole thing. "Ah, that hit the spot!"

Cologne and Cartier could only stare in disbelief as B'jack banged the empty mug on the table.

The next morning, Cologne met Cartier on the steps in front of the bank. Cologne noted the young warlock's small backpack, "I see you're traveling light again. Are you bringing that nice set of Epics I saw you with last month."

Cartier smiled slyly, "That, and maybe something else…."

Before Cologne was able to question Cartier on that further, a familiar voice boomed behind them, "Good morning ladies! Are you two going to stand here and chat, or are we going on our adventure?"

Cologne turned to B'jack and grinned wickedly, "Cartier was just telling me of how lonely her succubus was lately. She's going to be happy knowing you're coming along."

As B'jack looked around nervously, Cartier laughed, "Don't worry…she isn't out right now, but if you don't behave she might be."

Cologne laughed, "Now B'jack, you know were just fooling with you! Now let me open up a portal and we'll pop on over to Ironforge."

Cologne spread her hands apart and concentrated on her spell. It required a special rune stone to cast the spell and fortunately, she always had a few with her. Moments later her hands started to glow as balls of whitish blue energy began to form. When the balls had grown to nearly the size of her hands, she suddenly thrust them in front of her. There was a delay and then the air began to shimmer as a portal opened up to Ironforge. Once the image stabilized, Cologne nodded to her friends and they reached out and touched the image.

From Stormwind to The dwarven city of Ironforge, the three adventurers were transported by the portal spell and as the inside of the mage quarter of Ironforge came into view, B'jack commented, "Man, I'll never get used to that.

Cologne smiled, "Well, we could have walked. I hear the Searing Gorge is beautiful this time of year."

Remembering what a hell hole that is, B'jack laughed, "Very funny. I'll settle with the ports. So, is everyone ready to mount up?"

Cologne blushed slightly, "I hate to break this to you, my friend, but we are going to have to hike out to Coldridge Valley"

"What? Are you nuts? That'll take us about three days to get there! Not to mention its all cold and snowy outside. What happened to that mechanical contraption you usually ride?"

"That's part of the problem, B'jack. It's over near Kharanos getting a tune up and a few repairs. That run we did in Alteric Valley banged it up pretty badly. The good news is it should be all ready to go in about a week."

"Dang Col, I don't see why you insist on riding those mechanical chickens. You could easily get yourself a nice ram or even a horse like we have."

"And fine horses they are, B'jack. But look at me…I'm just a little over 2 feet tall. Do you know what it's like climbing on a horse with a seat that is over 5 feet tall? Well, for me it's a heck of a long reach. As for the rams, I just don't care for them that much. The Mechanical Strider was made by gnomes, for gnomes. I really like them despite the fact that they're machines and not animals."

B'jack sighed, "Well, if you feel like that about them, why don't you get rid of that pile of junk and get a new one, or better yet, an Epic Strider."

Cologne chuckled, "I guess I'm just an old softie. I'm pretty attached to the little guy and I don't want to just dump him and get a new one. Anyway, quit your griping. The walk will do us all a bit of good. Speaking of which, is everyone all packed up and ready to go?"

B'jack picked up his backpack and grumbled, "Yeah, I'm about as ready as I'll ever be."

Carter already had her pack on, "Anytime your ready, Col"

Cologne looked at her companions and smiled, "Alright then, lets go!"

The three adventures walked out of the mage's quarter and into the auction house area of the city. As usual, it was a teaming mass of people running back and forth selling and buying goods. Once they got past all the shoving of the auction house, they headed out through the great gate of the city and into the valley of Dun Morough. The city of Ironforge was built high up on a mountain, and as the travelers left its massive gates, they headed down the road as it snaked its way towards the snow covered valley below.

The sky was clear with a bit of wintery crispness to it. As they walked down the mountain road, Cartier noticed that B'jack wasn't grumbling any more. She gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder, "Hey, this isn't so bad, is it?"

B'jack smiled at his friend and placed a finger over his mouth as he whispered, "Yeah it ain't, but don't let her know about it, or I'd never live it down!"

Cartier chuckled and elbowed him in the ribs, "Sure, but it will cost you."

"Oh man…."

"Tell you what. You buy me dinner at the next nice place we stop to eat, okay?"

B'jack smiled, "Sh-sure! That'd be great!"

Cologne smiled to herself as the walked. It always made her feel young again to hear her friend's kid around with each other.

They continued to walk until they reached a fork in the road. Cologne pointed to the sign. "You two head on up to the inn at Kharanos. It's just up the road a short way and I need to check on my strider over here at Steelgrill's Depot. I'll meet you there when I'm done, okay?"

Cartier smiled, "Ok Col, you go ahead and check on your mount. Don't worry, we'll be waiting for you when you're done."

As Cologne headed off to check on her strider, Cartier and B'jack continued down towards Kharanos and the inn. After they had walked a few minutes, B'jack sighed, "You know, Col's gotta get rid of that piece of junk she calls a mount. Have you ever followed her on that thing? It belches so much smoke and soot that after a while my horse and armor starts to get blackened. And the smell…those fumes would gag a maggot!"

"Now B'jack, you know she is very attached to that mount of hers. While you and I have been on countless quests and other odd jobs that bring in lots of gold, she lives a lot simpler. Changing to another kind of mount and especially upgrading to an epic is quite a bit beyond her means."

"Yeah, but I'll tell you something. One nice thing about walking is I don't have to endure that clanking, clattering, smelly pile of scrap."

"Cartier got an evil grin, "What? And here I thought you were enjoying our walk to the inn together. Don't you like me any more?"

B'jack's eyes suddenly got very large, "I do…I mean…of course I…."

Cartier reached over and gave her friend a quick hug, "Gotcha!"

B'jack rolled his eyes, "Hah, hah. Very funny!"

Cartier laughed, "Well, what are friends for? If I didn't have you to tease once in a while, it would be a long walk to the inn. Look! I can see it from here!"

A few minutes later, the two travelers were seated at a table with a couple of large mugs of Thunderale sitting in front of them. Cartier eyed the mug in front of her and said, "So this is the ale your so fond of."

B'jack grabbed his mug and took a huge gulp, "Ahhh! That sure hits the spot! Yep, this is the best ale around."

His eyes softened a bit, "Try it, Cartier. It's really pretty good."

Cartier reached out and picked up the ale and took a sniff. She quickly noted its nice aroma and raised her eyebrows in surprise. Hesitating just for a second, she raised the mug up and took a drink. As she placed the mug back on the table she noted had a rather nice flavor to it. She was about to comment on it, when there was a sudden feeling of warmth in her stomach. It spread from there and made her tingle all over. She grabbed the edge of the table, "Dear God!"

"Yeah, it's got a hell of a kick too. All dwarven ales do, but nothing beats Thunderale.

With that, he picked up his mug and downed the entire contents. When he was finished, he slammed the mug down on the table and belched. "Man, that's good! I think I'll have one more for the road."

As B'jack started to get up, Cartier said, "You're nuts! How can you possibly drink that much and still be standing?"

B'jack just laughed as he walked over to the bar. Cartier shook her head and looked around the inn. There weren't many people inside yet, but here and there, a patron would enter the inn and talk with a vender or trainer for a moment. Her gaze settled on a pair making their way from one of the inn's rooms. One was a dwarven hunter. He had leather pants and a leather vest over a thick wool shirt. Like his clothing, he wore very warm looking boots that were also made of leather. He had a long brownish red beard that had been woven into a pair of braids on each side. As he made his way to the door, Cartier could also see the gun he carried. A large blunderbuss, it wasn't the most modern of guns, but it did have its deadly charms. It was his companion though, that caught her eye. She was a very young gnomish woman, with silver-white hair pulled up into two very large puffy pony tails, one on each side. Like most gnomes, she had a very cute face, but it was the sparkle in her green eyes that made her stand out. She wore a light red robe and carried a dagger as a weapon. Cartier noticed that she seemed close to the hunter and that he seemed very protective of her. Just as the two stepped out of the inn, B'jack arrived with another mug of ale.

He noted his friend was staring off into space and said, "Hey Cartier, a copper for your thoughts."

She turned around to face him, "I see you got another mug. Hope you don't get plastered before we head out, Col will kill you and me both!"

"Aw, don't worry about me. It takes at least three of these babies before I start to get a buzz. So what were you looking at over there? You seemed a bit out of it."

"Oh, I was just looking at the patrons. One of the couples looked pretty cute together as they headed out."

B'jack took a sip of his ale.

Cartier continued, "Have you ever thought about settling down and raising a family?"

B'jack's eyes widened, "I ah…that is I never really….Oh, there's Col!"

Cologne walked over to her friends and greeted them, "Good news. My strider will be ready in two days. When we come back through here, I can pick it up and we can ride back up the road to Ironforge instead of walking."

Happy to change the subject, B'jack commented, "That's great! The faster we get this taken care of, the faster we'll be riding again instead of walking."

Cologne noticed Cartier's mug still sitting on the table. Picking it up she looked at Cartier and said, "Mind if I take a swig?"

Cartier shook her head, "No, go right ahead."

After thanking Cartier, she brought the mug up and quickly drank the entire contents. As her friends stared at her in disbelief, she smiled, "Ah, good old Thunderale! I grew up on this stuff."

After she picked up her pack, she turned to her friends, "Let's get going. I want to reach the house before noon."

Once again, the three adventurers were walking along the road towards Coldridge Valley. It was still early in the day and so they walked in silence as they took in the sights and sounds of the snow covered forest. Here and there could be seen several of the wild pigs that the locals called crag boars. It wasn't long before they arrived at the tunnel portal that ran under the mountain and into Coldridge Valley.

A young guard greeted them as they approached, "Hello folks. Are ya heading over ta Coldridge Valley?"

Cologne smiled, "Yes. We have business we need to attend to over there."

"We've got a bit of a problem here. The tunnel ta Coldridge Valley is always a magnet fer those beastie troggs that crawl out of the woodwork around here, but last week a very large number of them poured into tha tunnel and we can't seem ta be able ta get rid of em. If ya could give us a hand here, Ah'd be in yer debt."

"We'd be glad to help. You and your men follow a bit behind us just in case a few slip by and we take care of the rest."

B'jack looked at Cologne, "Col, are you planning on doing what I think you are?"

Cologne looked over to her friend and smiled, "Aw c'mon, B'jack! It'll be just like old times. All you gotta do is get them mad at you. These guys can't possibly hurt any of that shiny plate of yours."

"Alright, but if it gets scratched up, I'm sending you the bill."

Cologne laughed, "Like I can afford to repair that crazy stuff you wear. Don't worry, nothing is going to happen."

Cologne turned to Cartier and winked, "Perhaps you need to summon your succubus to keep him company…"

B'jack suddenly yelled, "Charge!"

Cologne turned just in time to see him ducking into the tunnel, "C'mon! We're going to have to hurry to keep up with him."

Cologne and Cartier ran into the tunnel as fast as they could. At one point in a straight section, they could see B'jack with a huge mob of enraged Troggs in tow. In less than a minute they were on the other side of the tunnel. Cartier suddenly stopped and stared at the sight before her, "Oh my god!"

Just past the opening to the tunnel was a mountain of squirming Troggs all trying to attack B'jack. It was like watching a bunch of ants trying to get inside a sealed jar full of honey. Cologne started to laugh, "Don't worry B'jack, I'll…giggle…I'll save you!"

Cologne walked up to the mound of Troggs and positioned her feet and hands into a caster's stance. Suddenly there was a blinding violet flash that seemed to explode from her. Less than a second later, the ground was littered with hundreds of bodies, taken down by the effects of the Arcane Explosion.

Cartier was holding her stomach, "Hee hee! That was one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time!"

B'jack climbed over the dead Troggs, "Hardy-har-har. What took you so long, Col? I was getting the feeling there you were gonna just let these little monsters paw at me all day!"

Cologne smiled evilly at B'jack, "Just like old times. Only difference here is you forgot my short legs."

B'jack snorted, "That's a lame excuse, Col."

Then he chuckled, "That was sure cool the way they all suddenly fell down, though!"

Before anyone could comment, the three guards appeared from out of the tunnel opening. The sergeant ran up to B'jack and grabbed his hand and shook it vigorously, "Ah don't believe it laddie! Ya took out all these Troggs by yourself?"

B'jack just smiled as Cologne and Cartier watched with smirks on their faces.

"Outstanding! If you're ever in need of work, come on by and see me and we'll fix ya up right away!"

Cologne decided it was time to give her friend a hand, "We're always glad to help out the local authorities. We'd love to stay and talk, but we have an important appointment down in the valley below."

The guard smiled at Cologne, "Well, we can't be keeping ya from important business, can we now, lass? Take care, and thanks for yer help."

As the guards waved to them, the three travelers headed down the road and into the valley below.


	12. Missing

Chapter 12 – Missing

A very light snow was beginning to fall as the travelers made their way into Coldridge Valley. Large numbers of wolves and crag boar were visible as were several immature troggs. Cologne noticed B'jack place his hand on the hilt of his sword. "Relax, B'jack. Most of the creatures are so young that our presence here terrifies the daylights out of them. With the exception of the crazy trolls up ahead, nobody here is going to make the mistake of attacking us."

B'jack relaxed a bit, "What is this, some kind kiddy park? I thought you said this was going to be dangerous?"

Cologne chuckled, "Don't worry, we're just passing through for now."

She pointed to a steep ravine on the other side of the valley. "That's where we're going. It's a short climb up, over the ridge and to my old home."

Cartier looked over at cologne, "How are you feeling about this? This is all going to bring back a lot of memories, isn't it?"

Cologne nodded, "Yes, it probably is. But this has to be done before we go any further. I'm actually hoping that we find her still imprisoned."

A few minutes later and they were at the ravine. B'jack stopped and stared at the steep ramp in front of them. "Col, how in the heck are we going to climb that? Not only is it almost straight up, but it's covered with snow and ice as well."

Cologne smiled, "Do you remember me telling you that my father was a security freak? Watch this."

She then reached over to a small stone and grasped it. When she did, the stone split in half revealing a lever. She grabbed a hold of the lever and lifted it up, causing the ground in the ramp to move. Where there was once a smooth surface, there was now a set of stairs going up to the top of the ravine. As B'jack started to climb, he looked back, "You're just full of surprises. Did your pop put these in?"

"Just wait till you see the house. Father had these installed before I was born. He got tired of the trainees coming up all the time and asking if there was anything he needed done. It does a good job of hiding the house."

When they reached the top, Cologne slid another rock aside and grabbed the lever and pushed it down. Much more smoothly this time, the steps slid back into the ravine. She then pointed to the pathway, "Just follow that path and we'll be there in just a few minutes."

The pathway snaked around a few large boulders as it continued to climb up the mountain. Soon it opened up into a small cobblestone courtyard. Several arrow slits could be seen along the wall that surrounded the courtyard and the massive oak door was not going to be easily broken down. B'jack gave a low whistle, "Man, you could defend yourself from an army up here. Anyone trying to enter this courtyard would be sitting ducks just from arrow and gun attacks alone. And from the looks of things, I can see that the upper ramparts have a clear shot of those boulders we hiked around. I'm impressed, Col."

Looking at the door, he scratched his head, "So, how do we get in? I hope you brought a key."

Col smiled and walked over to the door and paused for a second, "Before we go in, I want everyone to get all of your good stuff ready. Manna up, buff up, and get all your high level gear on. I have no idea what to expect, and I don't want to take any chances."

Cartier looked at Cologne, "Do you want anything special?"

Cologne smiled, "Yes, we're going to need one of your pets. If mom starts to hit us with her magic, were going to need something to help fight against it."

"You want the felhunter?"

Cologne nodded and then Cartier said, "Alright, he gets a bit frisky right when he's summoned, so stand back a bit."

Cartier grinned evilly at B'jack as she unbuttoned her cloak and revealed her Epic robes underneath. Made of a material similar to fel-cloth and covered with deep violet and black runes, the robe clung to the young warlock's figure in a way that was quite flattering. Even so, there was nothing flattering about the robes power. The robe was just one piece of the full set she wore and together they transformed her from a warlock of average ability, into one of considerably more power. Cologne smiled approvingly, "Ah, that looks like the Dreadmist set. Very nice Cartier! Don't you think so, B'jack?"

The young paladin could only nod as he stared with his mouth open. Cologne, chuckled slightly and said, "I think he approves. Okay, show's over. Anytime you're ready, Cartier."

Cartier smiled and nodded. She spread her hands apart till they were about a foot and a half from each other. Closing her eyes she mouthed a phrase to herself. Moments later a pair of circular runes appeared, one centered at her feet and one centered above her head. As cologne and B'jack watched, reddish tendrils moved from the upper to the lower rune. A second later and the runes disappeared, and as the beast appeared, the air was filled with its deep growl.

Cartier reached over and scratched it behind the ears and whispered to it. Her touch seemed to calm the fel-hound and it began bounding about her like a common dog. But this was no ordinary hell hound. It was covered with long reddish black hair. Its massive head held a jaw that was filled with huge, razor sharp teeth. But what made the felhunter stand out, were the pair of long antennae that came out of its head and leaned forward. Nearly as twice as tall as the beast itself, these antennae helped the creature detect and attack magic users. For mages and warlocks alike, this was the creature of nightmares.

Cologne looked at her friends, "We may not have much of a warning, if any. If that beast begins to act on any magic presence, I want the both of you to start attacking what ever it's looking at with everything you've got."

B'jack cocked an eyebrow, "Ya think it's that serious?"

"We may not get a second chance, B'jack. And if we fail, we'll be dead and nothing will be able to stop her."

Before B'jack could comment further, Cologne turned around and faced the door. Massively built by dwarven craftsmen, it was made of thick wood with a rounded top. Cologne turned to the small box mounted on the wall to the right and slid the little door open. Reaching inside, she entered the combination and after pulling her hand out, shut the door. There was a series of deep clunks and then a loud click. Cologne grabbed the handle on the door and pulled it open.

As they entered the house, Cologne said, "Father had the lock custom made. When you enter the correct combination, it lifts up a metal rod that allows the door to open. When you close the door, it resets the rod and the only way to open the door from the outside is with the combination on that panel. The inside doesn't have a combination lock. You just slide the cover open and then grab the handle and pull. That releases the lock and you can open the door.

B'jack laughed, "It seems to me that it'd be easier to just break it down."

"A lot of people have tried over the years. Not only is that wood extremely hard, but there is a thick metal plate layered inside. He also booby-trapped the lock itself. If you were to enter the wrong keys, there is an arcane battery with an electrical charge inside the wall."

"You gotta be kidding me! I'll bet that's a shocking experience."

Cologne chuckled, "Lets just say It will light you up and leave it at that."

The stood in what looked like the living room. It had a pair of stuffed chairs sitting in front of a small fireplace. To one side were two doors that looked as if they went to a pair of bedrooms. On the walls were a pair of paintings showing scenes around Gnomeregan. The cut stone floor had a nice throw rug and there were also a pair of floor lanterns. B'jack commented, "The place looks deserted. Other than the rooms over there, I don't see anyone or anything dangerous about this. All this over no—oof!"

B'jack grabbed his ribs after Cartier punched him, "This is just a greeting room for guests. The rest of the house is probably deeper in the mountain."

Cologne smiled, "Correct. We are going to have to descend about five flights of stairs to get to the main house. As Cartier said, this is just a greeting room for guests. Both of those doors lead to small guest bedrooms. There is also a small bathroom that joins them in the back."

B'jack scratched his head, "If that's true, then where's the door for the lower levels?"

"Ah. Now do you see what I mean about father being a security freak? Even if someone were to get inside this part of the house, this is all they would see."

"So how do we get to the other part?"

Cologne smiled, "Watch."

Cologne placed both hands out in front of her and quietly said a short phrase. Almost immediately a small spark appeared in front of the wall and rose up toward the spiral. As it did, it left a trail of reddish glowing sparkles in its wake. When it reached the ceiling, it popped softly and faded from view. As it faded, a door appeared where the spark used to be. "When I was young, I remembered the location of the door and didn't have to use the spell to open it, but mom for some reason had problems. So father always had a few scrolls of detect invisibility laying around for her."

They entered the door and started down the stairs. It was a spiral staircase and it took a while before they had gone down all five. When they got to the bottom, there was another door. Cologne slid another panel aside and entered the combination. There was a soft click and she pushed the door open. When they entered the room B'jack let out a low whistle, "Nice!"

The room was the size of a large inn. A few large stuffed chairs and a sofa sat in front of a massive fireplace. In front of the fireplace was a large bear rug. On the other side of the room was a counter and behind it the kitchen was visible. A dining table sat off to the side. Made of a dark oak, it had eight comfortable chars around it. A fine layer of dust covered everything in sight. Several doors lined the walls, but two of them were open.

Cologne whispered, "Don't move! Cartier, get that beast of yours ready! Something has happened in here!"

B'jack looked puzzled, "What do you mean, Col?"

Cologne glared at him for a moment, "See those two doors over there? One goes to the bath, the other goes to mom's bedroom. When I left here, I shut and locked her door with a spell. Does that door look locked to you?"

B'jack gulped, "Uh oh."

"Cartier, send your hound into the bath. It if makes a loud noise, I'm going to nuke it with a double inferno. Cartier, you A.O.E. it and B'jack, I'm counting on you to keep us alive and her away from us."

Cartier sent the hound into the bath. The three adventures waited for a minute or two then suddenly the hound happily bounded out and ran over to Cartier. Cartier scratched behind its ears, "Well, that room is clear. It looks like the bedroom is next."

With a nod from her master, the fel-hound bounded off into the bedroom. Once again there was a long silence and then it happily returned. As Cartier greeted the beast by scratched it behind the ears, she looked over at her friend and said, "Well, Col, it looks like its clear in that room as well."

Cologne nodded and walked towards the bedroom. As she entered the doorway, she stopped and gasped. As she feared, the mageglass and her mom were gone, but what surprised her was the condition of the room itself. Across the room on the opposing wall was a jagged hole a little bit larger than a dwarf. Small pieces of stone littered the area in front of the hole as if something had tossed them in from the other side. The floor was covered in dried blood and there were several bare foot prints visible in the dust. Cologne walked over to the dressing table and picked up two pieces of a broken comb. After studying it for a while she went back to the floor and looked at the footprints. "Cartier, look at this. This is a set of small footprints that seem to lead around the room and out through the hole in the wall. Here is another set of booted footprints that seem to be with the first set. They also go out of the room and though the hole. The bare footed prints only seem to come into the room."

Cartier studied the floor for a moment, "Yes, it seem that these prints, troggs I believe, came in through that hole and fought with whoever was here. Since they don't lead outside again, I presume they died here as well. What's odd is the booted footprint. It's from a dwarf I believe, but I don't have any idea why it would be here."

"Yes, mother didn't have many friends, especially dwarven friends."

Cologne turned towards the doorway, "I'm going to look in the bath. B'jack, would you take a look in that hole and see how far back it goes? Take Cartier and her fell-hound with you, just in case there's trouble."

While her friends started to look around the hole in the wall, Cologne went back into the family room. Suddenly she noticed the fireplace mantle for the first time. Reaching up she picked up one of the glass globes and inspected it. "Why is this clean?"

She placed the globe on top of the mantle and walked into the bath. It was obvious that someone had used it several days ago. There was a comb on the sink and a bath towel had been set on the floor. More important there was nice looking robe sitting on the side of the tub. She picked the robe and put it up to her nose. "Mom…."

As she exited the bath, she saw her friends walk in the room at the same time. B'jack shook his head, "Not too much to see down there. It goes for a bit and then it's blocked by some kind of cave in. We did find this though."

He handed the item to Cologne and she studied it for a moment. "This is the remains of an explosive casing. It must have been used to close the tunnel."

Cartier raised an eyebrow for a moment. "If that's true, then it's a good bet that the person who made the boot prints was a dwarf like we thought."

For the first time they noticed the robe Cologne was carrying. Cartier reached over and felt the material. "What's this? It looks like one of the better warlock robes, but it's of an older design."

Cologne looked at the robe as tears started to form in her eyes, "It's my mother's. She was wearing it the day I encased her in the mageglass."

B'jack placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, "We're here for ya Col. Now that you know that your mom isn't here, lets head on over to Anvilmar and pay a visit to that lady that sent you the letter. It's getting dark and unless you want to spend the night here, we need to get across the valley soon."

Cologne nodded and placed the robe in her pack. After noting that her friends were ready, she motioned to them and they headed back up the stairs and out of the house. As Cologne shut the front door there was a satisfying click as the well build locking mechanism moved into place. B'jack looked at Cologne. "That's some house your dad built."

"Yeah, mom was really attached to it. She couldn't part with it even after all these years."

Silently they walked back down the ravine and into the valley below. It was almost dark when they reached the gates of Anvilmar and everyone agreed to get some sleep before talking with the people in the clinic tomorrow.

The next day cologne was awakened by his friends arguing. Cartier turned towards Cologne, "Next time I hope we can get separate rooms. This guy snores like an old bear!"

Cologne chuckled as B'jack tossed a pillow at Cartier, "If they have enough rooms, we'll do that. Right now, we need to visit the clinic."

They packed up their stuff and in a few minutes they were heading over to the clinic. After a short walk, Cologne spotted the entrance and walked over to the door. Taking a few deep breaths, she walked inside and up to the desk. A nicely dressed dwarf woman was signing some forms and looked across the desk at Cologne and her companions. "May I help you?"

Cologne smiled politely, "Yes, I am here to see the head physician about this letter I received a few days ago."

The woman bowed her head, "That would be me."

Cologne handed the letter across to the lady. She took a few moments to read the letter and then looked at Cologne. "Yes, I remember now. There was a very old note for us to write you if we ever got a patient by the name of Perfyume."

Cologne nodded.

The lady continued, "I was on duty when the young gnome was brought in. She had been injured in a trogg attack and was carried here by a dwarf hunter. It was very interesting. The hunter was very protective of her and she seemed to be attached to him in some way. Very unusual. Anyway, when she was feeling well, he came by and picked her up. The two of them left together and that is the last I saw of them."

"Could you describe them?"

"Sure. The woman was of course a gnome. She had thick white hair that was pulled up in a pair of pony tails, one on each side. It looked very nice on her. Her face was very beautiful, and quite cute. She had large green eyes that seemed to sparkle. She was also wearing a pair of silver earrings…."

She stopped as she noticed the ashen look on Cartier's face. "Dear, are you feeling alright? You look white as a ghost."

Cartier spoke in a shaky voice, "I-I saw them. I saw them both when we were in Kharanos. We were sitting in the inn waiting for Cologne and they walked right past us and out the door."

Cologne lowered her eyes, "Dear god…."


	13. Ice Wolves

Chapter 13 – Ice wolves

Perfyume sighed to herself as she stepped through the snow. Her dwarven companion glanced over at her with a bit of concern showing in his eyes. "Lass, what is it that's bothering you? You've been moping about since we left Kharanos."

Perfyume smiled a bit at her friend, "It's nothing, John. I've just got a lot on my mind about our destination."

"Aye. You're worried about what we'll find when we get ta Gnomeregan. Well, Ah can't blame you there. From what those two lads back there were saying, there's some kind of sickness running through the city."

Perfyume sighed, "It's more than some kind of sickness, John. It's almost like leprosy in that it causes the flesh to rot off of their bodies. But it has the additional problem of affecting the brain as well. Most of the people that are infected attack anyone that comes near, thinking that they are part of some kind of imagined invasion force."

Perfyume looked at her feet as she made her way though the light snow. Suddenly she felt the large arm of her friend reach around and give her a big hug. "Don't worry too much, lass. We'll check it out and once we see how things are for ourselves, we can come up with a plan after that."

She looked up at her friend and smiled, "Yeah, your right. Gathering these parts from outside the city will give us a chance to look things over and see how bad the population really is."

She thought for a moment and continued, "I just remembered, how did your training go yesterday? You mentioned something about getting your first pet?"

John smiled broadly, "It was great, lass. Once Ah got the hang of it, Ah was able ta train a nice pet of my own. Kinda like you and yer demon pets."

Perfyume chuckled, "Demon pets, eh? I'll have to remember that."

Smiling she added, "Can I see it?"

John laughed, "Ah thought you'd never ask. Just a sec while Ah summon him."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a wooden whistle. After putting it to his lips he blew out several sharp toots and put the instrument back in his pocket.

Perfyume looked about for a few seconds and then asked, "Well, where is he?"

John smiled and spoke softly, "Turn around and say hello ta Smoky, lass."

She raised an eyebrow and turned around only to become face to face with a very large brown bear. Staggering back, she stuttered, "Th-this is your p-pet?"

John laughed, "Aye, that he is! Don't worry, lass. Ol Smoky won't hurt you one bit. Now that he's been trained, he'll treat us like one of his own."

Gathering her wits about herself, she commented, "Well then, we won't be needing the Voidwalker with this big lug around. I'll keep the imp out instead and he'll help the three of us with his stamina spells."

"Aye, that should help a bit. Gotta make sure he doesn't get too happy with those fireballs, though. Ah'd hate ta see him try and stand toe to toe with one a those cats."

Perfyume nodded, "Okay, lead the way."

John slung his gun over his shoulder and began to walk down the snow covered trail towards the west. The bear followed along as if it was some kind of family dog, bounding about and running here and there as they made their way along the trail. Perfyume smiled fondly at her companion. With all of his gruff ways, she was no longer afraid to admit, at least to herself, that she cared a lot for the hunter. Her eyes began to moisten as she thought about how much John had begun to fill and heal the raw hole in her heart that had been so painful for so long.

John suddenly put his hand out in front of her and very softly whispered, "Hold on lass"

Perfyume looked ahead and saw three snow leopards prowling along the trail, "We can't go around them. Looks like were going to see how good a guard Smoky is."

"Aye lass. Ah'll have him jump the three of em. When he has their attention, start hitting his main attacker with yer damage spells. Use yer health drain ta suck his life away. Once he's down we'll move ta the next one."

Perfyume nodded, "Okay. Remember we don't have the voidwalker as a guard, so if you're pet gets overrun, we're going to be pressed to take them down fast."

John smiled, "Yer right there lass."

John then blew 2 soft toots on his whistle and the bear charged the cats with a roar. Seeing the monstrous bear lumbering towards them, the leopards crouched into a defensive position. When it was just a few yards away, the bear got up on its hind legs and lunged at the closest leopard. It hit the cat with a huge right paw and sent it flying across the snow. Two other cats growled fiercely and prepared to pounce, but the bear was not to be intimidated. The leopards leaped towards the bear and were each met with a huge paw full of steel-like claws right in the face. The cats howled in pain as their noses bled from the deep gashes.

Perfyume saw the cats all go down and targeted the hardest hit. "My god! He took all three of them down!"

Settling in her stance she readied her damage spells. First she hit the weakest of the cats with corruption and searing pain, followed by a curse of agony. As soon as that was complete, she followed with drain-life. While the first three spells were almost invisible, the drain-life spell was easily seen as it traveled along a twisting beam of living energy. From the heart of the beast into her own chest, the very life force of the cat flowed into her. The sudden rush of the cat's living energy momentarily caused her to gasp as it flowed inside her body and added to her own life force. In less than ten seconds the cat was dead and Perfyume prepared herself by casting her life-tap spell. Raising her hands above her head and mouthing a set of words, a portion of her own health was transferred to her manna reserves. It was effective in rebuilding her manna, but it carried a terrible price as it also drained her own life force as well. With each cast she could feel her body weaken from the transfer. By the third cast she was almost down to half her health. With an angry glare, she targeted the second leopard now fighting the bear. Once again she hit it with the curse and pain spells, and followed with her drain-life. Feeling the life drain from the cat, she smiled to herself as the cat suddenly fell in the snow.

Perfyume looked over at John as he reloaded his gun, "Do you see the third cat, I don't see it around anymore. It's got to be really mad after your bear smacked it up against that tree."

John smiled, "Don't you worry, old Smokey will find em. That cat's probably hunkered down in the snow getting ready ta ambush him.

No sooner had he spoken when the air around the bear was filled with snow as the cat leaped out of its hiding place. The leopard jumped onto Smokey's head and was fiercely swiping its razor sharp claws at the bear's face. The massive bear howled in rage and stood up on its hind legs while it shook its head violently from side to side in an attempt to knock the cat off.

Perfyume turned to the imp at her side and commanded, "You will attack that cat now, if you know what's good for you."

Mumbling something unintelligible, the little imp started to fire off small fireballs at the berserk leopard. As the imp did its work, Perfyume began to drain the life-force from the cat. Suddenly, the cat turned and faced the source of the steady drain on its life energy. Springing from the bear, it sped towards Perfyume with all its remaining strength. Perfyume stared wide-eyed as the cat rapidly closed the distance between them. When it was just a few yards away, the cat leaped towards her with its claws extended. There was a muffled thump, and the leopard fell to the ground with a dwarven axe imbedded in its side. As she looked over at her companion with her eyes still large from the experience, John smiled warmly at her, "Don't worry, lass. Ah'm not gonna let anything happen ta ya."

Perfyume blushed slightly and grinned, "Well, you certainly took your sweet time about it?"

John laughed at his friends little joke, "Aye, but it wouldn't be very exciting for ya if Ah killed it right away, now would it?"

She was about to comment further, when she noticed Smoky lying in the snow, "John, Smokey's hurt!"

They were at the bruin's side in a few seconds and as John inspected the wounds, Perfyume commented, "He was a real good defensive tank. It wasn't until that last crazy cat that he lost the agro and it came after me."

Without thinking she reached up and scratched the bear behind the ears. John turned to her and said, "That's really calming him down. If ya don't mind, keep it up while Ah administer this health potion ta these scratches. None of em are really that bad, but if Ah don't get em cleaned up, they'll get infected."

Perfyume nodded and continued to scratch Smoky behind the ears while John finished up with the first aid. When he was done, he looked over at Perfyume, "He's all patched for now, but it needs a while ta heal. If we're ta go on, you're gonna have ta pull out your blue beastie. Old Smoky can protect us if another gets through, but he isn't going ta be any good at tanking until tomorrow."

Perfyume thought for a moment, "Alright, I'll bring out the voidwalker. He may not be able to do much damage, but he can really irritate anyone who attacks us. While he's doing that, you and I can take out the targets. If any get through, you can use your axe, and Smokey can be backup, just in case. Meanwhile, I'll be draining the life out of them as fast as I can. Let's just try and keep our targets down to 2 at a time."

"Aye lass, that's good advice."

Picking up his backpack and gun, John continued, "There is a lake up ahead with a small settlement just on the other side. Ah'd like ta be there before nightfall if we can."

Perfyume smiled, "That's a good idea. I don't like the idea of sleeping on a frozen lake."

John laughed for a moment, "Aye, sleeping on the ice isn't what Ah'd call fun either. The small village on the other side is supposed ta have something set up for travelers, but we'll have ta be ready ta pitch our own tents just in case they don't have room for us."

Perfyume frowned a bit as she remembered the last time they had to camp in the snow, "I hope so."

She continued, "Okay, let me get the VW out. He isn't dangerous, but you may want to stand back a bit till he has been summoned."

After John had stepped back a couple of paces, she placed her hands out from her side and at waist level. After quietly mouthing a simple phrase to herself, she closed her eyes. Immediately a glowing red rune appeared under her feet. From this rune, small balls of glowing plasma appeared and flowed into a spot directly above her head. When the balls no longer appeared, she quickly slapped her hands together above her head. As the rune faded from view, a large blue mass began to appear. It shifted its shape for a second until it stabilized more or less on its natural form. Taller than a human, it had a blue body with two evil looking eyes. It had a featureless mouth and no ears or hair. Below its massive neck were huge, broad shoulders. Its giant arms both had golden bands on the upper portions and its hands had long, pointed fingernails. Its lower body tapered down into a gaseous point that seemed to float above the ground in some kind of blackish blue fog. A tremendously powerful guard with nearly inexhaustible energy, it was known as a voidwalker.

The demon looked about its surroundings and in a deep, rumbling voice said, "I…don't like it…here!"

Perfyume walked up to the VW, "Nobody asked you if you did! While you're here you will do exactly as you are told. If you disobey me just once, I will drain your soul and feed it to an imp. Do I make myself clear?"

The demon shimmered for a moment, "I…obey."

She gave the demon a cold stare for a moment more before turning to her companion, "It's ok now. Once I lay down the rules, it will obey my commands until I release it, or it dies in combat."

John smiled warmly at his friend, "We're good ta go then, lass. Daylight's wasting and Ah suspect we'll be seeing a few more of those cats before we get ta the campsite."

As they continued their trek down the snow-covered path, John glanced over at Perfyume, "Ah_ can't believe she can summon one of those beasties already. At the rate she's progressing, the little lass will be half way through her warlock training in no time at all_."

Perfyume looked up and noticed the odd look on her friend's face. "Hey, what's up?"

John stuttered for a moment, "Err…ah…just noticing those two wolves up ahead and thinking we'd better get ready."

Perfyume stopped and immediately saw the large pair of wolves walking directly towards them, "Okay. I'll send the VW in to shake them up. Once he's gotten their attention, you hit them with your gun, and I'll hit them with the damage spells. If any get past, we'll send in Smoky. They should be easy kills by that time."

"Sounds good ta me. Do your stuff, lass."

Perfyume sent the voidwalker after the two wolves. With an unintelligible demonic grumble, it floated towards its prey. Before the wolves knew it, the demon was in their midst, causing quite a bit of pain for the wolves.

John watched for a moment, "Yer beastie sure has those wolves angry. What say we put them out of their misery?"

Perfyume smiled, "You read my mind!"

While John fired off his gun at one wolf, Perfyume hit the other wolf with a volley of damage spells followed up by a curse of weakness. She then switched to the other wolf and repeated the casting sequence. Satisfied the wolves were in a lot of pain, she went back to the first wolf and hit it with a drain life spell. In seconds the wolf collapsed on the ground and died. Another couple of seconds later, the second wolf fell and joined its partner. As the voidwalker returned, John smiled at Perfyume, "Now that's a lot better, lass! Ah hardly broke out in a sweat that time! Yer blue beastie did pretty good out there."

When the VW came up to her, she commanded it to heal itself by consuming the shadows around it. It raised its arms into the air over its head and in a deep, grumble said, "Yesss."

Perfyume looked up at John and smiled, "That may well be true, but I've also noticed that your shooting has improved greatly since we first did this sort of thing. The VW is only really good at guarding and keeping their attention off of us while we wear them down, and you did that very well, John."

John blushed brightly for a moment, "Thanks, lass. That means a lot ta me."

He then turned and after picking up his pack, looked back at his companion and said, "We're probably going ta run in ta a few more of those beasts. We better get a move on if we don't want ta get caught in the dark."

They continued to walk along the old pathway and for the next couple of hours they had no further trouble with the wolves or the snow leopards that were seen up in the hills. Once they ran across a large bear, but he kept to the hillside and left them alone.

The pathway soon opened up into a broad sloping valley. Snow covered pine trees were thinly scattered about and some of the wildlife could easily be seen. John pointed ahead, "Ah don't see any of those wolves or cats, but Ah see a couple of bears ahead. Let's see if we can get around them"

Perfyume nodded and quietly walked behind her companion as they silently made their way through the forest. The bears were both preoccupied with tearing up old logs to get at the bugs hiding underneath and didn't notice the adventurers as they crept by. They continued walking through the forest as it gently sloped downhill. Suddenly the trees opened up and they were standing at the edge of a frozen lake.

Perfyume smiled as she clapped her hands together excitedly, "I remember this place! It's called Ice Flow Lake. It's frozen for half the year, but in the summer, it thaws and the water is so beautiful. We used to come here for picnics back when…."

She became very quiet as she recalled the intimate times she spent with her husband over a century ago. John patted her softly on her shoulder and pointed across the frozen lake, "Ah'll bet it was really nice. Ah can just imagine setting up a little lunch and perhaps doin a bit of fishing. It sounds like you had some good times back then."

She smiled up at her friend and quietly said, "Yes, we did…we really did."

John pointed to the horizon, "We'd better be on our way, lass. The sun's gonna set pretty soon."

"You're right, John. Here I am reminiscing on the past when the present is much more urgent."

They both stepped onto the thick ice and started to make their way across the lake. As they made their way in a south western direction, John pointed towards a pair of islands in the center of the lake, "It's gonna take us out of our way a bit, but we're gonna have ta go around those two islands."

She raised an eyebrow, "Why's that?"

"Ah can see a couple of wolves walking the ice. Ah can also see what looks like a den of some kind on the nearest island. Taking on a couple wolves at one time is one thing, but a whole pack of em is a whole different keg o ale."

As they made their way towards the southwestern tip of the nearest island, Perfyume remarked, "If we get into really nasty trouble, I can have the VW attack the group. If your bear can handle it, he can help out, but there is a problem. When my minion's health gets too low, he's released from this plane. Because he can't be killed, I only need to re-summon him after he's been defeated, but I'm worried about your pet."

"Aye, he can die if he gets in their face too long and isn't healed. But if that starts ta happen, Ah can tell him ta run for it and he'll high tail it ta safety."

As they approached the farthest tip of the island, several wolves could be seen looking in the direction of the adventurers. "Looks like we've been spotted, lass. Be ready ta sick your pet on them and run like the devil."

He had just finished speaking when a dozen wolves suddenly charged down the bank of the island and towards them. John commanded Smoky to attack and Perfyume commanded the VW to do the same. John placed his hand on Perfyume's shoulder and started to pull her back. "Were gonna need ta get as much distance between us and those wolves, lass."

They quickly walked backwards towards the village while keeping a close eye on the battle before them. The VW had caught the attention of a nearly three quarters of the pack and was slowly being worn down by the wolves' attacks. Smokey was holding his own against a trio of enraged wolves as they tried unsuccessfully to bite though his tough hide. Perfyume started to get worried, "He can't hold on much longer, John. The VW is already lost over half of his health and it's falling fast."

"Aye, once he falls, the whole lot will be on Smoky in a heartbeat. When that happens, Ah'll command him ta run for it and so will we."

Suddenly the VW threw up its huge blue arms and faded from sight. John gave a long toot on the whistle and grabbed Perfyume's hand. "That's it, lass. Run for it!"

Perfyume's heart was pounding in her chest. She knew there was no way they would be able to fight of that many wolves without their pets. Running to the village was their only chance to survive. She could just make out the tails of smoke from the cooking fires. As she concentrated on her goal, she missed the frozen branch just sticking out of the ice. The branch caught her just above her toes and she fell face first onto the ice. "Oh god, my foot! The wolves! I'm not going to make it!"

As Perfyume struggled to get back to her feet, she suddenly felt a pair of huge arms pick her up. Looking up at her companion as he carried her she said, "I'm going to weigh you down! You can't possibly carry me all the way to the village!"

John gave her a quick glance as he ran with her in his arms, "Hush, lass. You and Ah've been through a lot and there's no way Ah'm gonna let my best friend and the lass Ah lo-care for get eaten by a pack of mangy mutts. If you go down, Ah'm going with ya."

Perfyume's eyes went wide as she caught John's near slip of the tongue. "_Was he about to say that?_"

Before she could think about it any longer, John said, "Take a look over my shoulder, and see how close they are."

Perfyume raised her head up so that she could just see the pack. She was horrified to see that the wolves had closed to a couple of dozen yards. Turning and holding tight to John's jacket she said, "They're almost on our heels. It's going to be close."

Suddenly there were several loud bangs from up ahead. Perfyume whipped her head around and was greeted with the wonderful sight of several dwarves armed with rifles firing at the approaching pack. Another pair of dwarves with huge battle axes drawn were running across the ice towards them. In a moment they had a sturdy grip on John's upper arms and swiftly helped him across the last patch of ice to safety.

Seconds later, as John worked to catch his breath, a very powerful looking dwarf walked up and said, "Well there! It was mighty nice o ya ta provide me lads with a bit o target practice. We heard the wolves howling as they attacked yer pets. The both of ya were very lucky. Those ice wolves on that island out there can swarm on an unsuspecting traveler like ants on honey."

As John gently set Perfyume down, she smiled at the dwarf and said, "Thank you very much for your assistance. My name is Perfyume, and this is my friend, Jonathan.

The dwarf let out a hearty laugh, "Think nothing of it lassie. The name's Rejold Barleybrew and welcome ta Brewnall Village!


	14. A Bit of Rest

Chapter 14 - A bit of rest

John grinned broadly at Rejold, "Ya wouldn't happen ta be related ta tha folks that make Barlybrew ale now would ya?"

"Aye, we're one in the same, laddie. My family has been brewing ale fer over a hundred years."

"And a fine ale it tis. It's been quite a while since Ah've sipped any though."

"Well, when we get up ta the village, come on over ta the inn when ya get a chance and Ah'll buy ya a mug o me best ale."

Then he added with a wink, "What ya do after that is up ta you."

As they got ready to walk from the ice bound dock to the village a short distance ahead, Perfyume took a few steps and tried her foot. Wincing, she became angry with herself for tripping on the ice. "Stupid, Stupid, Stupid! Why wasn't I watching where I was going?"

She was about to gingerly take another step when she was once again picked up by her companion, "Ya had a pretty bad fall out on the ice back there, lass. Ah'd feel a lot better if we took a look at your foot before ya tried ta walk on it."

As he carried her in his arms, she smiled, "A good rubbing with some lotion and a good night's sleep and I'm sure it will be just fine in the morning."

"Aye lass, but there's no sense in having ya limp all the way up this road now, is there."

Before she could comment further, they were at the 'village'. Her heart sank as she realized that the little town of Brewnall was nothing more than a settlement. It had no real buildings to speak of and was comprised of tents and awnings made of canvas and skins.

An older gnomish woman came running up to the travelers, "What happened? Is she hurt?"

John smiled at the little woman, "Aye, we were being chased by the wolves out on the ice when she had a bad fall. Ah think she might have sprained her ankle."

"Okay, bring her over here and I'll take a look at it."

John followed the woman to one of the larger tents. "Set her down inside here, please"

He gently placed Perfyume down on the soft furs lining the floor of the tent. The little gnome looked up at him and smiled, "I'll take a look at her now and see what I can do. Why don't you head on over to the kitchen area and grab a bite to eat?"

He hesitated and she continued, "Don't worry. I'll take good care of her. Give me an hour and I should be done with her. You can bring some dinner to her then if you like."

Perfyume smiled, "Its ok, John. I'll be ok. Go ahead and have some dinner and I'll see you later."

John gave Perfyume one of his huge grins, "Alright lass, Ah'll see ya then."

After he left the woman gently removed the fur lined boots from Perfyume's feet. "Well, I can see you have a bit of a swelling here."

Turning she reached into a small leather bag and pulled out a glass jar. Kneeling down next to Perfyume's feet, she opened up the jar and scooped out a small hand full of light blue cream. Then with a very gentle touch, she placed the cream on Perfyume's foot and started to rub it around her ankle. "This stuff feel's cold at first, but after a short while it will get a bit warm. It soothes the joints and helps the swelling go down. By morning, you'll feel a lot better."

Perfyume jumped a bit as the cold cream was rubbed on her foot, "Wow, that's cold! It feels like ice water!"

The woman smiled, "It always does for a moment or two, then it will start warming up a bit."

As the cream warmed up a bit, Perfyume smiled, "Ah, your right. That feels better already. May I ask what your name is? Mine's Perfyume."

The woman's smile brightened, "Well, glad to meet you Perfyume. I'm called Malinda."

"Nice to meet you too, Malinda. Thanks again for helping me with my ankle."

Malinda continued to work on the ankle, "It's my pleasure. I'm always happy to help a fellow gnome."

Perfyume raised an eyebrow, "I've never seen a gnomish healer before. Are you a priestess"

The woman signed, "No, I'm not a true healer. All I'm doing is applying sensible medical knowledge to your injury. In reality I'm just a mage. When Gnomeregan fell I escaped the worst of it, but most of my family perished. It's much too dangerous for me to go back into the city, so I work here and help those who go inside to fight. Sometimes those that have not been affected by the sickness are rescued or escape. I…have made it my life to take care of them."

Perfyume's eyes widened, "Y-you were at the city when it fell? How could something like that have happened?"

Malinda's eyes began to shimmer as she folded her hands together and placed them in her lap, "After the accident, all communications to the city were cut off. Most of the exiles that we've been able to talk to were the middle working class and had no idea what happened, but after talking with many survivors we now know who was responsible."

Perfyume hissed, "Troggs…."

"Yes. They broke though the walls of the main power generating room and attacked the machinery. There was a great explosion that rocked the city and destroyed the power generator and most of the lower levels. Hundreds of gnomes perished on that day alone. Later, a sickness began to seep from the power station and affect the survivors. It causes a terrible leprosy that rots the flesh and turns it a sickly green. It also twists the mind into thinking that anything not infected must be killed. Most of the remaining survivors are trapped in a protected area below the tramway. Many have tried to escape, but between the troggs and the infected, they've had little chance to get out alive."

The older woman lowered her head as tears began to run down her cheeks. Perfyume felt her own eyes begin to moisten and without really thinking, reached over and placed her hand on Malinda's. "I'm going to see for myself what happened. There has got to be something we can do."

Malinda shook her head, "No! You can't go there! It's too dangerous!"

"I've got to do something! Our people are still dying in that city. If we can't get them out, they may all perish from the sickness and our people are too thinly spread out as it is. We can't just sit by and allow our fellow gnomes to die off. Their future, as well as the future of our race is depending on us."

The old woman raised her face and looked closely at Perfyume, "For such a young gnome, you seem to speak with the words of someone much older. You are…right of course. I have seen so much death in our people that the fight has left me."

She picked up her supplies and started to put them in her bag. "Just promise me that you will at least be careful. My dad was a warrior and used to say that a dead soldier just might get his image carved in stone, but a cautious soldier lives to fight another day."

Perfyume smiled at hearing the old saying from her youth. She was about to comment when a young little gnome literally hopped into the tent. She had dark brown hair that was pulled back in a single pony tail. Her face was round with two huge dark blue eyes, a small nose and cute mouth sporting a huge smile. The clothing she wore was simple, a nice blue and white peasant dress and a pair of sandals. A little shorter than Perfyume, she spoke in a quick energetic voice. "Hello! You're the gnome that was carried across the ice by that hunter. I hope your feeling better. That's a pretty robe you have on. I wish I had one like that. You're a warlock, aren't you. Do you have a voidwalker? I think they're scary. Are you going to Gnomer-."

Malinda interrupted, "Ami! Remember your manners!"

The young gnome lowered her eyes and blushed slightly, "I'm sorry Auntie. I guess I got carried away."

"That's better. Perfyume, allow me to introduce you to the youngest member of our little village. This is Amicute, better known to all of us as Ami.

She continued, "Ami, this is Perfyume. She and her friend, Jonathan had a close call out on the ice today while trying to get to our village."

Ami smiled at Perfyume, "Pleased to meet you, Perfyume. I'm sorry if I embarrassed you. It's just…I don't see very many gnomes anymore."

Perfyume grinned, "Nice to meet you too Ami. And that's ok. There's nothing wrong with asking questions, as long as the place and time is right."

The little gnome flashed a huge smile, "Thank you. I would like to stay, but I have a couple of chores I need to do before the day ends. It was very nice to meet you."

Ami suddenly turned and left leaving a slightly stunned Perfyume staring where the little gnome was standing just a few moments ago, "Is she…always like that?"

Malinda chuckled, "I'm afraid so. That little girl has more energy than most of us here put together."

"I heard her call you Auntie. Is she your niece?"

I wish she was. When Gnomeregan fell, she was just a little tot. A pair of exiles came through here carrying her with them. They had no skills at caring such a young child and so they asked us if we could watch over the little girl until her parents could be found. We have asked each and every one that has come through and so far, none have claimed her. For the moment, we have adapted her as part of our family. Because I'm a gnome, she calls me Auntie and looks up to me as if I was her mom."

Perfyume chuckled, "I see. She's a real cutie right now, and I can imagine how she'll be when she gets older. Has she decided on a profession?"

Malinda smiled, "Not yet, but she does work some in the kitchen and she cooks up the best apple pie you've ever tasted!"

"I'd like to try that sometime."

"She made up a couple last night. I'll check and see if there is any left."

The older woman got up, "I'll let you get some sleep now. This tent has two rooms and your friend can sleep in the second one. I'll come and check on you in the morning."

Perfyume looked up at Malinda, "It was very kind of you to help. Thank you."

The woman laughed lightly, "Think nothing of it. Have a good night Perfyume."

She then got up and left the tent, closing the flap behind her.

After the woman had gone, Perfyume pulled the soft, heavy blanket over herself and let out a contented sigh as she snuggled into the deep fur bedding. As she closed her eyes and started to fall asleep, her last thoughts were of how nice it would be if she had such nice furs and blankets to sleep on in her own tent.

Early the next morning, John was humming to himself as he worked in the kitchen area of the village preparing breakfast for Perfyume and himself. He always enjoyed preparing breakfast in the morning, especially now that he had someone to share it with. He was so busy in his work that he didn't notice the elderly gnome that had climbed up on the chair next to him until she spoke up, "My, that looks good! You're fixing that up for Perfyume and yourself I assume?"

Just a bit startled, he quickly turned towards the voice that interrupted his cooking. Seeing the older gnome, he smiled, "Aye lass, she didn't get anything ta eat last night and Ah was thinking she'll be having a hearty appetite right about now. Last Ah checked, she was still sleeping, so once Ah finish this, Ah'll wake her up and we'll have breakfast."

The old gnome smiled broadly, "That's real kind of you to do that, young man. I'm sure she'll appreciate your efforts a lot when she wakes up.

She paused for a moment before continuing, "By the way, my name's Melinda. I treated your little friend's ankle last night."

John gave her a big smile, "Jonathon McDougal's the name, lass. And thank ya for taking care of her."

Melinda chuckled, "Well there Jonathon, you're quite welcome. It was my pleasure to help her out and we had a great little talk before she went to bed. I hope you know you have a great little friend there."

"Aye, that she is…"

Melinda noticed the faraway look in John's eyes and smiled, "Looks like your breakfast is about done. You wouldn't want to burn it now would you"

John's quickly pulled the pan off of the fire. "Oh man…!"

He quickly checked the food, and after being satisfied it didn't burn, served the ham and egg mixture into a pair of bowls and added a couple of warm rolls. Picking up the bowls, he turned to the woman, "Ah'm going ta take this ta her now. It was nice ta meet ya, Melinda."

She smiled and looked at up at him, "It was a pleasure meeting you as well, John."

He turned and headed towards the tent. As he walked away, the old woman chuckled to herself softly. "My oh my. That boy's got it bad!"

A couple of minutes later, John was at the tent. "Good morning lass! Are ya up yet? If ya don't mind me coming in, Ah brought ya some breakfast."

John could hear some rustling sounds coming from inside the tent. A couple of seconds later Perfyume called out, "Come in, John!"

He lifted the tent flap and ducked inside. Seeing his friend he grinned broadly, "Ah'm glad ta see yer looking well this morning, lass. Ah fixed us up some breakfast seeing how ya didn't have anything ta eat last night."

John handed her a bowl and a fork and then turned to the pack he brought in with him. He dug around inside for a moment and then brought out a sealed glass jar full of a light golden liquid. Perfyume looked up from her eating and noticed the jar and frowned a bit, "I hope that isn't some kind of ale, John. It's too early for me to be drinking that sort of thing, especially on an empty stomach."

John laughed, "Don't worry lass. What Ah have for you here is a real treat."

He poured some into a mug and handed it to Perfyume. She brought the mug up to her lips and after carefully taking a sip, smiled brightly. "This is apple cider! I haven't had this in years!"

John picked up his bowl, "Aye, a salesman from Stormwind sold the innkeeper a whole barrel of it. He liked it so much that when the inn's built he's gonna make it a regular part of the menu."

A couple of minutes later, Perfyume had finished her breakfast and was thoughtfully sipping her cider. Looking at John, she said, "Thank you for the breakfast John. It was delicious!"

John blushed slightly, "Think nothing of it, lass. Besides, you're gonna need your strength when we get ta Gnomeregan."

"True enough, John. I really app-"

Before she could say anymore, a young gnome poked her head inside the tent, "Hello! I hope I'm not disturbing you, but Melinda said I should bring this over to you so that you could have some for lunch after you left."

Perfyume smiled, "Hello Ami. Come on inside."

John smiled at the little gnome as she stepped inside, "And who might this wee lass be."

As Ami blushed, Perfyume raised her eyebrow at her companion, "John, this is Amicute, better known around here as Ami."

The hunter flashed Ami one of his big smiles, "Well lass, Ah'm glad ta meet ya! John's the name and any friend of Perfyume is a friend of mine. What kin we do for ya?"

The little gnome turned to Perfyume and handed her a small box. "This is for you and John."

Perfyume smiled and accepted the gift, "Why, thank you, Ami. What's inside?"

The little gnome blushed again and smiled, "It's a couple of pieces of apple pie I baked the night before last. I hope you like it."

John eyes widened, "Did you say apple pie?"

Ami nodded and John laughed, "How did you know that was my favorite! It's going ta be mighty hard for me ta keep away from it till lunch!"

Ami blushed brightly at John's compliment and then turned to Perfyume. "I heard that you're going to Gnomeregan. Please be careful."

Perfyume reached out and gave the young gnome a quick hug, "Don't worry Ami, we will."

Ami turned quickly and left the tent. John eyed the doorway and slowly shook his head, "That's one cute little lass there. She is gonna be a real heartbreaker in a couple of years."

Perfyume got up and started to get her things together, "That she is. With her parents missing in Gnomeregan for so long, it's surprising that she's the way she is. I'm hoping that with any luck, we'll find some answers for her."

She stopped for a second before turning towards her friend, "She's just one of what may be hundreds of people driven from their homes by the city's fall. From the moment we left Coldridge valley, I've only seen isolated pockets of gnomes. Ironforge has a small refuge of them, but no more than a hundred or so. There were several thousand of us living in Gnomeregan even in my time over a hundred years ago. I must do what I can to save our city and the people trapped inside. Gnomeregan tied us together and if we can't save it, our race will be dispersed across the globe until we fade away forever…."

Seeing the tears flowing down his friend's cheeks, John placed qa gentle hand on her shoulder, "There, there, lass. Ya don't have ta tell me the importance of having a home ta call yer own. We've always had Ironforge and Ah can tell ya that no dwarf could possibly imagine what it would be like ta lose her. Gnomes and dwarves have always been close and Ah can understand what yer going through. We'll find out what's going on over there and then we'll see what can be done about it."

Wiping the tears from her eyes, she looked at her backpack, "Thank you, John. That means a lot to me."

She moved away and began to get her things ready. Together they gathered up Perfyume's things and in a few minutes they were all packed and ready to go. John turned towards his companion, "Alright lass, Ah had a talk with the folks here about Gnomeregan. From what Ah've heard, it's not that far, but we can't go if yer ankle's still hurting. How's it feel right now."

Perfyume put her weight on her foot and rocked it from side to side. "It's feeling pretty good right now, John. I don't feel any pain at all."

John was still serious, "Alright lass, but if it gives ya a bit a trouble, we're gonna have ta come back."

Perfyume raised an eyebrow at her friend's display of protectiveness, "I'll be fine. But, if it starts to bother me, I'll let you know. Okay?"

"That's fair enough, lass. Alright then, are we ready ta go?"

Perfyume nodded and together they walked out of the village and towards Gnomeregan.


	15. The Gates of Gnomeregan

Chapter 15 – The Gates of Gnomeregan!

After leaving Brewnal, Perfyume and John found themselves once again in the forested wilderness of Dun Morogh. John reached into his pocket and pulled out his small wooden summoning whistle, "We'd better get our pets out lass. Yer voidwalker and ol Smokey seemed ta do pretty good together last time. After that beating Smokey took yesterday against the wolves, Ah don't think he's quite strong enough ta take on a bunch o those mangy mutts by himself."

Perfyume got in her stance and prepared to summon the voidwalker, "Good idea John. he really took some nasty hits yesterday."

While Perfume summoned the Voidwalker, John blew a few sharp toots on the whistle. Smokey came bounding though the snow a few seconds later. John reached out and gave the old bruin a few scratches around the ears, "Hey old boy, how ya doing? Are ya ready for some fun?"

Smokey rubbed his huge head up against John a few times before moving a few feet away. John looked over and saw that Perfyume had already summoned her voidwalker. "Well lass, it looks like we're ready."

Perfyume gave the voidwalker a stern look before turning to her friend, "I just had to make sure he understood who was boss. Alright then, let's go."

For the first hour they walked together in relative silence. It had snowed recently and the ground was covered with a new layer of fluffy powder. It crunched beneath the soles of their boots as they made their way towards Gnomeregan. A bear or cat could be seen here and there, but they paid the travelers little mind. John was about to comment when he heard a gasp. Quickly looking towards his friend, he saw that she had stopped walking and had her hand over her mouth. Her eyes were wide in wonder. "What's wrong, lass?

John turned his head around towards where she was staring and saw what looked like a greenish smoke rising above the trees ahead. She spoke as he studied the phenomena, "Tha-that's about where the exhausts for the power plant are. It's…supposed to be steam…just white wispy clouds…not that sickly green smoke."

John turned back towards his friend, "Aye, it might be poisonous. Do you want ta go around it?"

Perfyume shook her head, "No John, I need to find out what's going on."

She gave him a sly grin, "You're not going to let a little thing like a bit of green smoke stop us, are you?"

"What…now wait a minute…."

As John realized he was being kidded with, he let out a hearty laugh, "Ya had me going for a sec there, lass. Alright, you win. You lead the way and Ah'll keep my mouth shut unless there's trouble."

Perfyume giggled, "Fair enough."

They continued to make their way though the thinning forest. Smokey no longer bounded about in the snow along the path, but hung close to the travelers as if sensing danger ahead.

Suddenly they found themselves at the tree line on the edge of

Gnomeregan. The power plant exhausts were visible off to the south. They were constructed of metal and shaped into rings nearly thirty feet across. Oddly, they were only about 5 feet high. Large pieces from the sides of the exhaust ports seemed to be missing as if something had blasted them away. Designed to gently allow steam to escape, a swirling mass of glowing green gas instead billowed out and into the air above.

West of the exhausts stood several homes against the hillside. Even at this distance it was apparent that something had gone wrong here as well. Several of the homes were heavily damaged as if something had exploded from within.

Straight ahead and directly west stood the gate to the city of Gnomeregan itself. The road leading to the gate climbed a short distance up gentle hill and into a large crowned opening. There were no real doors to the city that could be closed, but the face of the entrance was built of heavy steel and looked undamaged. But above the gate, huge columns of green smoke billowed out from the remains of dozens of broken windows.

Perfyume stared in disbelief, "I…I don't believe it...There used to be homes and shops over there….That road was a busy highway leading to the city….It's…deserted."

"Not quite deserted, lass. Have a look over there. It looks like we've attracted a bit of attention."

Perfyume looked and saw three gnomes running towards them. She could see that they had daggers drawn. "I'll send the voidwalker out to slow them down. I don't want to kill them unless we have to. Be ready, though. Just in case."

A quick command to the demon and it rushed out to the gnomes. The group saw it coming and immediately charged it. As soon as The voidwalker was in reach, they attacked with their daggers. The voidwalker raised it's massive arms in the air and howled, demanding to be allowed to attack.

John looked at his friend, "Well lass, it looks like the welcoming committee is a bit hostile. Yer big beastie can take a beating, but when he goes down, you can bet that bunch is gonna be on us real quick."

"Alright, John. I'll hit them with a searing pain spell. I'll also let the voidwalker start to do damage as well. It should wear them down. If they break though, start shooting and I'll hit them with a few shadow bolts. If I have to, I'll start draining life."

While John brought his weapon up and sighted on a target, Perfyume commanded the voidwalker to attack the trio. Immediately the demon began slapping the gnomes across the head with its clawed hands. While it didn't do a lot of damage, it caused intense pain. The gnomes soon became enraged with a blind madness towards the voidwalker. Perfyume spread her hands apart and prepared to cast the first searing pain spell. The edges of her fingers started to glow a fiery yellow, and after a few moments spread to engulf her entire hand. Wincing in pain, she held it for a bit more then suddenly pushed her hands towards the first attacker. The effect was instantaneous as the first gnome screamed in agony while every pain sensor in his entire body suddenly felt as if it was on fire. Not really causing damage, the spell caused the gnome to feel intense, burning pain. As the pain overcame him his own body rushed to channel valuable resources and energy to the tormented pain sensors. With every second the pain continued to grow until the gnome went into shock and collapsed into the snow.

By the time the first had fallen, Perfyume had already begun to cast the spell on the remaining pair. Suddenly they both broke away from the voidwalker and charged towards Perfyume. While she prepared to cast a shadow bolt, John burst into action. Two quick toots on his whistle and Smokey was charging after one while he aimed his gun at the other. The first round was a concussion shot. It didn't hurt the gnome that much, but it slowed him down. The next pair of shots hit the gnome deep in the chest. He staggered for a moment then fell face first into the snow.

John immediately turned his attention to the last attacker. Smokey was tearing at him with his huge claws, but the mad gnome ignored the bear while screaming at the top of his lungs as he charged towards Perfyume.

Suddenly there was a flash of bright violet light as the shadow bolt fired towards its target. The dark force howled and left a glowing trail of violet energy as it hit the gnome in the chest, momentarily stunning him as it glowed and spread though his body. The gnome screamed in terror as his very soul was consumed by the dark forces surging within his body. Bright glowing energies pulsed from its eyes briefly before finally fading as the deranged gnome fell lifelessly into the snow.

John glanced at his friend, "Well done, lass! That bolt of yours took em out nicely."

They both walked over to the body of the deranged gnome that was so intent on killing Perfyume.

Perfyume pointed at the body, "Look! All of his skin has been turned shades of green. It's made the surface translucent, as if it was glowing from the inside. And look at those boils and open sores. The sickness we see on his skin must be even worse inside his body. It must have driven him completely mad."

"Aye, yer right there. Ah know how ya feel about yer kin, but this poor devil was out of his mind. If we hadn't taken him and his friends out, they would have hurt someone else."

She nodded her head, "I know, john. I…I didn't want to have to kill him, but I realize that these poor gnomes have to be stopped before they kill innocents. That doesn't mean that I like it, though."

John looked towards the entrance to the city, "We'll have ta be a bit careful here, lass. These lads are going ta be a lot tougher than any wolves we've faced."

Perfyume smiled at John and nodded, "Agreed. And we don't have anyone to help us out this time."

Turning, she started to make her way towards the road ahead. John smiled as he followed closely by her side, "Ah'll send Smokey ta scout up ahead. They won't attack him unless he gets too close."

John gave a series of toots on the whistle and Smokey bounded ahead for a few dozen yards and slowed to a gentle walk. Stopping here and there, he sniffed around an old log looking like just another bear. After a minute, he turned and once again jogged a short distance further till he came across something of interest."

Perfyume lightly smiled, "That's a neat trick. He stay's up ahead of us and draws out any trouble that pops towards him. Can he handle being in the center of another angry mob?"

"He'll do fine. These green lads didn't touch him last time and Ah'm pretty sure that we can send yer blue beastie in ta help while we take em down."

"As long as we don't have to deal with too many at once. Between your improved shooting, my timed damage spells and the shadow bolt, we did very well back there."

"Shadow bolt? That blast you shot off was a shadow bolt? God lass, that thing had ta be five times the power of the first one Ah saw ya shoot off."

Perfyume smiled and giggled, "That's nice of you to say so. While I agree that my abilities have been improving, that shadow bolt was nothing compared to what an advanced warlock can do. At the highest power level, the spell will send out multiple bolts that fan out towards multiple targets. Each bolt is nearly twenty times the power of my single shot you saw earlier."

John was quiet for a couple of minutes before he spoke up again, "Do ya mind if Ah ask ya a personal question?"

She raised an eyebrow, "No, not at all."

"Ah was just wondering about when you were a warlock in yer past, back before yer daughter freezed ya. Were ya powerful enough ta do that sort a thing?"

Perfyume nodded, "That and much more, john. I was driven by a blinding rage at the senseless loss of someone very close to me. Anger and rage soon became a powerful hatred that eventually consumed my soul. I was driven to a single minded desire to learn the darkest of the warlock arts and to make everyone pay for my pain."

"But ya never got yer revenge, did ya?"

Perfyume lowered her eyes, "No, my daughter stopped me before I could put my plans to work. There's nothing I can do about it anymore."

John thought for a moment before continuing, "How do ya feel about it now? Do ya still have all that anger an rage in ya?"

Perfyume got a faraway look in her eyes, "That's an odd thing, John. I still miss my companion a lot. His death so many years ago nearly tore me apart both in my heart and in my mind. But now, my feelings towards what happened to him are no longer angry, but … peaceful. I don't feel the rage or the hatred anymore."

John smiled at his friend for a moment, "Ya know we dwarves aren't ones ta dwell on such things, but it seems ta me you've been given a second chance."

She looked back and smiled, "Do you think so?"

"Sure! Yer young, yer cute, and ya got the potential ta be a very powerful warlock. Ah'd say that was a second chance."

Perfyume smiled brightly at John and giggled.

"What's so funny, lass."

She gave him an evil grin and fluttered her eye lashes, "Do you really think I'm cute?"

Realizing his slip of the tongue, John could only stutter in embarrassed horror, "Ye-yes..that is… Ah mean…What Ah meant was…."

She giggled again and came to his rescue by cutting him off, "Its okay john, I'm not upset. Remember that I'm over three hundred years old and it has been a very long time since anyone has paid me such a compliment."

She paused for a few seconds before adding, "Thank you."

The young dwarf was practically glowing bright red, "Sh-sure. Anytime lass."

Before anything more could be said, they heard a growl up ahead. A pair of diseased gnomes were attacking Smokey. John prepared his rifle, "Looks like we got company again, lass."

Perfyume had already sent the voidwalker out to assist the angry bruin. "John had just gotten off a concussion shot against one of the gnomes when he saw the shadow bolt streak against the second. Turning towards his companion, he saw that she was already priming up a second bolt. Moments later, a bright violet flash flew from her hands, followed by the streak of a shadow bolt as it flew towards John's target. A second later and it was over. Both gnomes were down and laying in the snow. John blew a low whistle to himself, "_Ah may have only suspected it before but now Ah'm sure if it. The little lass is getting more powerful with each spell she casts_."

Perfume looked up at her friend and gave him a sad look, "These poor people are beyond our means of being able to help them, john. You know I'd rather not hurt them, but it's become painfully obvious that they don't feel the same for us. It's better to hit them at a distance while we can, than to let them get close enough to attack us."

John looked at his friend and rested his hand on her shoulder, "Ah can understand ya needing ta do that, lass. These poor folks don't look any better than the first we came across."

She dropped down to her knees to get a better look. "What ever this is, it's beyond anything I've ever seen. I've seen magic spells burn, boil, freeze, and blister people. But nothing can compare to this…this sickly horror."

John waited until she stood up, "Lass? May Ah ask ya another question?"

She looked at him and raised an eyebrow, "You know you don't need to ask, John. What is it?"

"Aye, yer right. Well, Ah couldn't help noticing that those last few shadow bolts seemed ta have a bit more kick ta em. Even though Ah was shooting like always, you pretty much took em both down on yer own. From what Ah can see, yer getting better every time ya cast the spell.

Perfyume looked at her friend and her face softened as she smiled at his concern, "Yes John, I'm becoming better at my warlock skills. And while you're correct about me getting better, I'm just a baby compared to my old self. The skills are coming back to me quickly, much quicker than if I were to learn it all from scratch, but it's still at a measured pace."

"Well lass, Ah'm just glad yer-."

"Help!"

They both turned their heads towards the cry and John pointed, "Look there!"

Looking up the road and towards the city, a pair of gnomes were running towards them as fast as their little legs could move them. Behind them, a trio of infected gnomes followed with their weapons drawn. Perfyume quickly turned to her voidwalker and commanded it to defend the pair of gnomes heading towards them. She turned towards John just in time to see him send Smokey to do the same. "John, we have to hit the others as hard as we can, or they won't stand a chance!"

John was loading up his gun with the special explosive rounds, "Aye lass, yer right there. Those two need to hurry though, they're in a lot of danger right now."

One of the attackers had fallen from the barrage of John's gun, Perfyume's shadow bolts, and Smokey's claws while the other two were being tormented by the voidwalker. Suddenly the pair charged around the voidwalker and towards the fleeing gnomes. After taking a dozen steps, they crouched down and both drew out a rifle while taking aim on the two gnomes nearing Perfyume."

Perfyume's eyes widened, "No…."

Moments later they saw the twin flashes from the muzzles followed by the double bang as the sound reached them. Both gnomes fell face first into the snow, not more than a few feet from Perfyume.

She stared at the pair for a moment, "Dear god…."

There was the sound of Smokey growling as it prepared to attack again. Perfyume's, head snapped around and she focused her eyes and her building anger on the gnome's killers. Facing the attackers, she placed herself in a wide stance with one foot behind the other. As she spread her hands apart, violet globes of gas appeared in each of her palms. Each of the globes grew until they were nearly the size of her head. Long tendrils of violet energy snaked away from the globes, sometimes hitting the ground, mostly extending out into the air like a fuzzy ball of violet lightening. John gasped as Perfyume's eyes started to glow and strings of violet energy poured from them and into the globes. "Lass….No!...Don't do it!"

Perfyume was concentrating on her spell too deeply to hear anything around her, much less John's plea. As the force she was holding grew, it became increasingly difficult for her to control. The two balls of energy were starting to pull at her arms and joints. Concentrating intensely, she held on until the pain became too much and then screamed at the top of her lungs while finally releasing the globes. The twin balls of energy shot off towards their targets, spiraling around each other while leaving a trail of violet vapors that caused the snow on the ground to billow up as they passed. The remaining gnomes didn't stand a chance as the two bolts slammed into them with a powerful force that knocked them back a dozen yards into the snow. Their eyes glowed violet for a moment then faded to a lifeless stare. The balls of energy had ripped their very souls out, turning them into lifeless husks before their bodies had hit the ground.

John stared in awe at the power he had just witnessed. "Dear god, what in the nine hells was that?"

"John…I…."

He snapped his head around and saw that she had fallen to her knees. She put her hands out into the snow as she sucked air into her lungs with deep ragged breaths. John was at her side in an instant, "Lass! What's wrong? Are ye wounded?"

Perfyume panted for a few seconds before answering, "It…drained me…of everything."

"What was that? Ah've never seen anything like it."

She took a few more deep breaths, "It's been over a hundred years…since anyone has seen the twin sisters, John. The spell was lost beneath the ocean for hundreds of years before I found it."

John's eyes widened a bit, "Lost…?"

"Yes, the ancients who nearly destroyed our world centuries ago left many treasures like that spell scattered about. I discovered an old parchment buried deep in the badlands that led me to find the preserved scrolls with the secret of how to unleash that spell."

John calmed a bit, "Ah've herd tales of wondrous treasure buried deep in the caverns under the badlands…."

He paused for a few moments, "That spell…the twin sisters you called it? Ah've never seen anything that powerful before."

She looked at her hands for a moment, "I'm not sure what happened. At first I was going to just shoot of a pair of shadow bolts, but when those two poor gnomes got shot in the back, something inside me snapped. I saw red and the next thing I knew, my hands felt like they were on fire from the energy of those two spheres. When I screamed, it felt like every ounce of energy had been drained from me. Gods, I thought I wasn't going to live through it. Once they fired off, I began to black out. The next thing I knew, I was kneeling in the snow."

"Aye, that ya were. That spell must have drained yer life force down ta almost nothing."

"Don't worry. I'm not going to be able to do that again anytime soon. Even though I remember the spell, I don't have the skill or power to do it again. It must have been triggered by all the anger I was feeling."

"Aye, that might be it. But ya still scared me half ta death when all that fire came out of yer eyes."

Perfyume sadly gazed at the two gnomes laying in the snow nearby. "As powerful as that was, it wasn't enough to help them."

"Ya did what ya could, lass."

She sighed for a moment and then got to her feet, "Perhaps for them, you're right. But for the others still trapped inside the city, there is a lot more I can do."

She turned towards her friend and reaching out with both hands grabbed his free hand, "I've got to go inside there, John. If these two were alive, there may be dozens more trapped down there as well. I've got to go, but…I don't want to go without you."

John suddenly felt very warm inside as he looked into her green eyes, "Lass, ya should know by now that Ah'm not gonna be leaving yer side anytime soon. Ah may not like the idea much, but like Ah said once before, we've been through too much for me ta go an leave ya."

Perfyume grinned broadly, "I wouldn't have it any other way. Let's get going then!

John gave a hearty laugh as he picked up his pack, "Alright lass, Ah'm right beside ya!"

Together the two travelers headed towards the gates of Gnomeregan, unaware that a pair of eyes had been watching them for quite some time.


	16. Race Ya!

Chapter 16 – Race Ya!

In a small inn, located in the town of Khranos, a pair of old friends discussed the events of the past few days while sipping on a couple of dwarven ales. "I'm telling ya Cartier, I've never seen Col this driven. First she drags us out of that clinic and all the way up to Ironforge. Then she has you and me crawl all over that run down dump they call the Forlorn Cavern looking for clues to her mom's whereabouts. While we're doing that, she hops on that mechanical strider of hers and heads all the way to Loch Modan. When she gets back, she sends us to Stormwind to deliver those letters."

His companion looked across the table at him and smiled a bit, "B'jack, you heard how important this is. She's trying to determine where her mom headed off to when she left this inn. While you and I were digging for clues in that cavern and running those letters, she was all over Ironforge, loch Modan and the rest of Dun Morough."

B'jack took a few swigs of his ale then looked at his long time friend, "That's what I'm trying to get at, Cartier. In all the times we've been on quests and adventures together, I've never seen that woman so…so stressed out before. I know for a fact that she hasn't slept or eaten much in the past few days. To tell you the truth, I'm starting to get worried about her."

Cartier smiled a bit at her friend, "_So, under that brutish, carefree attitude he puts up as a front, there's a caring person underneath. Col and I are pretty lucky to have someone like him for a friend._"

She took another small sip of her ale before setting the mug down, "I've never known her, or you for that matter to ever walk away from a challenge when you put your minds to it. In that regard, you're very much alike."

B'jack raised his eyebrow at his friend while taking a few more sips from his ale. He was about to comment further when Cologne stepped into the inn. She glanced about for a second before walking towards their table. A few moments later she climbed up on a chair across from her friends. B'jack greeted her while motioning a serving maiden over. "Hi Cologne. How'd it go? Did ya find anything more on yer mom?"

Cologne answered in a very tired voice, "No B'jack, nobody has seen any sign of her or the hunter after they left the inn. I'm afraid there's only one place left they can be."

Cartier smiled, "Well, that's something at least. Where do you think they are, Col?"

Cologne was sipping her ale the maiden has just brought. After a few moments, she put the mug down and looked at both of her friends, "Gnomeregan."

Cartier's eyes widened and she placed her fingers to her mouth, "Dear god…"

B'jack coughed as he choked a bit on his ale. Taking a few deep breaths he looked at his old friend, "Gnomeregan! You gotta be kidding me! Between the radiated troggs, the infected gnomes, and the crazy mechs running about, that place is a death trap. The last time you and I went down there looking for information on that nutty engineer…Therma-something, we got ambushed in the launch bay by all those mechs and barely escaped with our lives."

Cologne lowered her eyes for a second, "I know. It was a close call for the both of us."

Looking back up at her friends, she continued, "Even so, it's the last place she could be right now. My contacts in all the surrounding lands would have seen them if they had traveled beyond the dwarven boarders. I've told you before how important this is to me and possibly to the entire realm. If my mother is planning something, she needs to be stopped before it's too late."

She paused a few seconds before continuing, "Look, I know its dangerous down there. I can't force either of you to come with me, but I've made up my mind. I'm going in that hell hole tomorrow morning, even if it means going alone."

B'jack's face reddened, "Now just a minute, Col. No one said anything about not going with you. We made an agreement with you back in Stormwind and I for one am not going back on my word!"

Cartier's eyes blazed, "That goes for me as well. If you think we're going to sit by and let you face that place alone, you've got another thing coming!"

Cologne's eyes widened at her friend's anger, "I-I'm sorry….That's not what I meant…."

Seeing Cologne's eyes start to shimmer, Cartier reached over and grasped her hand, "Look, Col. We three have been friends for a long time and friends protect each other. Part of that friendship means that we stick together even in the worst of times. If that means following you down into Gnomeregan, so be it."

B'jack smirked a bit, "Heck yeah! You don't think we're gonna just sit by and let you go and have all the fun, now do ya? This old armor's been blinding me with its stinking shine. I'ts about time I got it dulled up some with a bit of good old battle damage."

He then took his mug and held it out across the table, "To adventure!"

Cartier brought her mug up against B'jack's, "To victory!"

Cologne shook the tears forming in her eyes and picked up hers, "To…friendship!"

After striking her mug against theirs, Cologne upended the mug and quickly drank the entire contents. Slamming the mug down with a little more force than necessary, she smiled at her friends as they continued to drink theirs, "Well then, it's settled. I'll see you two in the morning. Remember, I want to be out and on the road by sunrise."

She then hopped down from her chair and headed to her room. B'jack reached over and picked up her empty mug and turned it upside down. Shaking his head, he turned to Cartier, "How does she do that?"

Cartier just chuckled as she sipped the rest of her ale.

The next morning B'jack was checking his pack to make sure he had everything. Satisfied all was ok, he turned and left his room. Cartier and Cologne were already waiting for him when he got to the inn's dining room. Cartier gave him a smirk, "About time you got here, sleepy head!"

Cologne gave him an evil grin, "If you hadn't gotten down here in the next few minutes, Cartier was going to send her succubus in to keep you company."

B'jack groaned, "C'mon guys, its too early for this."

Cologne pointed to the table, "Look, we saved you some breakfast. Have a seat and eat hearty. We're going to be needing our strength today."

B'jack sat down and began to dig in, "Thanks guys, this looks good."

Turning to Cartier, Cologne said, "I'm going to go pick up my strider. I let those two mechanics down the street look it over for me last night. I'll meet you and B'jack outside by your horses when he's done."

Cartier smiled, "Alright, Col. We'll see you then."

As Cologne headed outside, Cartier sat back down and sipped her drink while B'jack ate his breakfast. When he was done, Cartier got up from her chair, "Alright, let's go. Col's going to roast us alive if we don't hurry it up."

B'jack grunted, "That little woman is gonna be the death of me yet."

Cartier smiled back, "Yes, but you and I both know that we'd follow her to hell if we needed to."

B'jack chuckled, "Yeah, yeah. Let's get going then."

The two of them picked up their packs and headed out the door. The horses were tied up just outside and Cologne and her strider were there as well. Looking very much like a mechanical ostrich, the strider was one of gnomish technology's better inventions. Its feet were wide with two large toes in front. The lower legs angled forward slightly to the knee joint and angled back for the thigh portion. These were mounted in the main body which contained the engine that drove the machine. Where there should be tail feathers, there were instead six exhaust pipes arranged in a u-shaped ring. On top of the body was a raised, gnome-sized seat with controls and indicators in front, and foot controls on each side. The neck rose above the body to the level of the rider's eyes. Looking very much like a bird's, the head was mounted at the top. The eyes were quite large and made of a cut glass that seemed to magnify the blurry object within. The entire machine was painted here and there in shades of blue that made it look quick and racy. Most people thought the machines were noisy, dirty and a complete waste of time, but gnomes everywhere loved them.

B'jack smirked when he saw the strider and placed his pack on his horse. Heavily built and wearing its own armor, the deep brown mare was called a charger. As B'jack climbed up and into the saddle, the horse barely gave him a look. He reached forward and patted the mare along its neck for a moment before glancing over at Cartier.

Cartier was already sitting in her saddle. Her horse was a black, tall stallion, but the resemblance to normal mounts ended there. Flames shot up from the hooves and legs to about the knee and the eyes and nostrils glowed with fire. Summoned by warlocks from the same hell as a voidwalker, it was known as a felsteed.

Seeing her friends were ready, Cologne prepared to start the engine that powered her strider. She flipped a couple of switches in front of her and placed her foot on a lever to the right of the strider. She then stood on it quickly. The lever moved down immediately and there was a sudden vibration as the strider came to life. Its power plant running, the strider rocked gently on its feet, the toes moving up and down to get a good grip on the roadway. Its eyes now glowed brightly and a beam of light could be seen on the road in the early dawn. The exhaust pipes rattled and vibrated as black smoke puffed out. Cologne reached forward and twisted a handle, causing the motor to suddenly rev up a bit. When she released the handle, the smoke had cleared considerably.

B'jack coughed and waved his hand in front of his face, "Darn it, Col! Couldn't ya wait until we were on the road before ya did that?"

Cologne turned and grinned, "Well then, I guess you'll have to make sure you're not stuck behind me."

B'jack snorted, "Are ya challenging me to a race? I can beat that clattering collection of rusting nuts and bolts any day and you know it."

She giggled and then gave Cartier a sly wink, "Alright, we're going to follow the road south out of town and then west. Once we get to the entrance to the Coldridge tunnel, we turn right and down into Ice Claw valley. From there, we follow the old logging road until we get to Brewnall village. We'll stop there for a few minutes while I have a talk with the locals and then we'll head straight west and ride the mile or two over to Gnomeregan."

B'jack nodded, "Sounds good, Col. We were on that old road once before back when we were in Gnomer' a few years ago."

As Cartier nodded, Cologne smiled at B'jack, "Alright, lead the way. Cartier and I will follow behind you."

B'jack turned and gave the reins a snap and the horse immediately took off at an easy pace. As Cartier snapped her reins, Cologne reached forward and pulled a leaver towards her. The strider hopped forward and took off in a running trot. As it ran, it made a strange sound, "Ka-kling, ka-kling, ka-kling…"

Cartier turned towards Cologne and noticed the huge grin she was wearing, "_Hah! Look at her! She really loves riding that thing. It's no wonder she won't get a real horse._"

Cologne yelled up ahead to B'jack, "Hey, you want to speed that old nag up a bit? We're not getting any younger back here!"

As Cartier giggled, Cologne turned and showed her a feather she was holding in her other hand, "Watch this!"

B'jack suddenly gave the reins a hard snap and the charger pulled ahead. Cologne pulled the control back a bit further, "About time he got it in high gear."

The trio was traveling at a good speed as they made their way along the road towards the Coldridge tunnel. B'jack slowed down as he made a hard right turn and dropped down into Ice Claw Valley. As Cartier slowed down to make the turn, she glanced over and noticed that Cologne was not slowing down and seemed to be going faster still. As Cologne quickly approached the cliff ahead, she brought the feather above her head for a moment. There was a small flash and the feather disappeared. By the time Cartier had made the turn into the valley, she could see Cologne and her strider leap out into the air above and in front of her. Moments later she realized she had been tricked as the strider and its rider gently descended down into the valley and well in front of B'jack.

"_She used a feather fall spell! Hah, hah, hah! B'jack isn't going to be happy!_"

The strider landed a dozen yards in front of B'jack, it's legs compressed slightly to absorb the landing before taking off down the road. B'jack raised a fist in the air, "You're insane Col! You know that?!"

Cologne turned around, smiled and gave B'jack a wink, then pulled the control all the way back and took off at full speed down the old logging road. B'jack slapped his legs against the side of the charger and urged her along, "What does she have in that thing? I've never seen it move so fast!"

Cologne was just in sight of Cartier, the feet of the strider kicking up clods of snow and mud as it sped ahead. She urged her felsteed along the road as fast as she could. Her two friends were going to make it to the village ahead of her and she didn't want to miss the fireworks when B'jack caught up with Cologne.

As fast as the strider was, the charger was faster and it quickly caught up with Cologne. Deep in the valley now, with pine trees thick on both sides of the road, there was no room for B'jack to pass her on the narrow logging road. Cologne slowed the strider to a normal run as B'jack yelled at her from behind, "Ya wanna move that pile of junk out of the way?"

Cologne turned around and grinned sweetly as she pointed to the trees at the edge of the road, "I'd love to, but as you can see, there's no room."

While B'jack fumed, Cartier caught up and came up behind B'jack. After matching her speed to him she called out, "Hey B'jack, what happened?"

"You saw what she did! That crazy gnome jumped off a cliff and landed on the road in front of me."

"Aww c'mon, there's no harm done. I'm sure she just wanted to test the strider out after getting all that work done on it."

"Are you kidding? She could have killed both herself and me with that stunt."

Cartier grinned, "Hey B'jack."

"What?"

"Ever hear of a feather fall spell?"

"Yeah. Mages us em to….Oh man! She did it to me again, didn't she?"

Cartier laughed, "Yep. You've been had, my friend."

Before B'jack could comment further, Cologne turned around and called back, "The village is just up ahead. After we tie up at the inn, I want to talk with the villagers for a while."

A couple of minutes later they entered Brewnal and headed straight to the inn. B'jack grumbled, "You gotta be kidding me. You call this a village?"

Cologne smiled at her friend, "You shouldn't complain so much. After all, I'm buying the rounds of ale."

B'jack quickly forgot everything else, "Ya are?"

She giggled, "Sure. You and Cartier relax for a bit and wait here while I have a talk with the locals."

While her friends sat down at a table, Cologne walked over to the bartender, "Hi there."

The dwarf turned and gave a huge smile, "Hello there, little miss. The name's Rejold Barleybrew. What can Ah do for ya?"

Cologne bowed slightly, "It's a pleasure to meet you. My name's Cologne and those are my friends, B'jack and Cartier. I'd like to buy a few rounds of ale for them while I visit some folks here in town. Don't let the big guy get too drunk, though, I'm going to need him sober later. And if you could, please, have a mug of ale ready for me when I get back."

The dwarf smiled. "Anything else, lass?"

She reached in her purse and pulled out a gold coin, "This should more than cover the cost of any amount of ale B'jack could drink."

She paused a moment before handing the gold coin over, "I'd like to ask you a question, if I may."

The bartender gave the coin a flick in the air and after catching it, smiled, "Sure lass, go ahead."

"I've been searching for someone who might have passed through here a few days ago. Her name is Perfyume and she would have been with a dwarven hunter."

The bartender raised an eyebrow and looked at Cologne, "Aye, we did have a couple pass though here a couple of days ago. They got caught on the ice by a pack of wolves. The lass left her voidwalker on the ice with the hunter's bear while the two of them high tailed it towards the village here. Along the way, the wee lass sprained her ankle and the hunter had ta carried her the rest of the way. When the pack was through with the voidwalker and the bear, the charged after yer friends. The mongrels were right on their heals when they came within range of me boys. A half a dozen well aimed rifles does wonders at chasing off a pack of wolves!"

Cologne looked confused, "Wolves? You mean that pack of weak little wolves that prowl around the islands on the lake?

"Aye, they're the ones. I'm sure that ta a mage like yerself, those beasties would be nothing more than a swarm of pesky flies, but ta yer friends they were a real danger."

Cologne raised an eyebrow, "Was it a bad sprain?"

"Not really, our local healer fixed her up and the two of them left the next day."

"Could you tell me where I might find your healer?"

"Aye, If Malinda isn't here in the inn, she's either helping someone or in her tent across the road. She isn't here right now, so ya might want ta try her tent."

Cologne thanked the bartender and left the inn. She immediately spotted the tent and after walking across the dirt road and stopped in front of the open flap, "Hello? Is anyone here? I need to speak to Malinda, please."

Moments later, Malinda appeared in the doorway, "Hello. I'm Malinda….What can I do for you?"

Cologne smiled, "My name is Cologne. Pleased to meet you. I would like to ask you about a couple of people that passed through here a while ago."

The old woman smiled, "Please….Come inside and sit down."

Cologne thanked the woman and entered the tent. It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust as the woman pointed to a small table with a pair of little chairs to sit on. There were several shelves on two sides of the tent walls filled with jars and little boxes. She also noticed that another person was there as well. Much taller than a gnome, even as she sat on her knees, she seemed to be carefully inspecting the contents of the shelves. Cologne pointed to the chairs, "My. I haven't seen real gnome furniture in years."

Malinda smiled, "There aren't many of these left. I salvaged these and a few other things from my home when the city fell."

Cologne sat down and gently rubbed her hand across the wooden table as if it were made of gold, "It's a real a treasure to be sure."

She then motioned towards the other woman in the tent, "I hope I'm not intruding on you."

"No, It's okay. Now, what was it that you wanted to talk about."

"My friends and I have been searching for a couple that passed through here a few days ago. One was a dwarven hunter and the other was a gnomish warlock. The hunter's name I believe is Jonathon, but it is the warlock, Perfyume, that I need to find."

Malinda's eyes widened, "Yes…they did come through here a couple of days ago. May I ask why you're looking for them?"

Cologne suddenly felt the hairs on the back of her neck tingle. A moment later she felt a presence behind her as a soft melodious voice spoke, "Hello Cologne. It's been a long time."

Cologne whipped her head around towards the speaker. Staring in wide-eyed shock, she stuttered, "Ni-Nightystar?"


	17. Hot on the Trail

Chapter 17 – Hot On The Trail

Nightystar smiled. She had stopped working on shelved items and was now sitting next to Cologne. Almost angelic in her appearance, her white hair flowed down to the middle of her back. Her face was oval shaped with a small pointed chin, long pointed ears, and extended eyebrows. When she spoke, her voice had a soothing effect on those around her. She laughed softly as she spoke, "What's the matter, old friend? You look as if you've seen a ghost."

Cologne laughed, "Gads, you scared the wits out of me for a second there, Nighty."

She then hopped off the chair, reached over and gave her friend a big hug, "It's good to see you again, but what brings you to this little village?"

Nightystar smiled, "Every year I stop over at Ironforge to help with the training of new priests. While I'm doing that, I also stop here and visit Malinda. She's not a true priest, but she has the technical healing skills. I provide her with the potions, bandages and salves needed to help the Gnomeregan escapees."

Looking into Cologne's eyes, she continued, "I can sense that something is bothering you. Tell me, old friend…what brings you out here?"

Cologne looked at her hands for a moment, "She's free, Nighty. Mom's been freed from the mageglass. We found out a few days ago, and after checking the house for ourselves, we tracked her to this village. Since she isn't here, we think she went on to Gnomeregan."

There was a slight cough as Malinda cleared her throat, "I don't want to intrude in your little reunion, but from what I've just heard, you're saying that Perfyume is your mom?"

Cologne's eyes got a bit bigger, "uh-oh…."

Malinda continued, "Well. That answers that. You certainly do look a lot like her."

She became very stern and glared at the mage, "Look Cologne, I don't like being made a fool out of, and I really don't like being lied to. When Perfyume and John were here, I thought they were one of the nicest couples I've had the pleasure to meet. You have just five minutes to tell me what's going on before I call the guards."

Cologne stuttered, "C-couple? Did you say couple?"

Nightystar placed her hand on Cologne's shoulder, "We'll fill you in, Malinda, but what we tell you right now must be kept secret."

Malinda nodded, "Alright Nightystar, for you I'll promise to keep this a secret."

Cologne then proceeded to tell the tale of how Perfyume suffered from the loss of her husband and how she blamed the dwarven race and many others for his death. She continued with how Perfyume searched the world for the magic of ancient warlocks and plotted to use this power to destroy Ironforge and create an army of mindless slaves. Cologne finished by explaining how she had disobeyed a high council order to kill her mom and instead imprisoned her in mageglass.

Malinda looked at Cologne for a moment, "You have got to be kidding me. I'm having a really hard time swallowing your story about her being a powerful warlock of such great evil that a high council ordered her killed. While she was here, we had a good long talk and let me tell you, I thought she was one of the nicest gnomes I've met in a long time. You're lucky Nightystar is here to back you up, or I would have laughed you right out of town."

Cologne rubbed her temples, "I know. This isn't making any sense to me either. You mentioned something about a couple earlier. Were you talking about her and that hunter?"

Malinda giggled, "Yeah. You should have seen the two of them carry on. The whole town got a kick watching them try to hide the way they felt about each other. She obviously cares for him a lot, even if she won't let on to anyone else. And that hunter! He's so hung up on her that I'm surprised he can even think straight. Even though they probably don't know it yet, it's pretty obvious to me that those two are falling in love."

Cologne's eyes grew as wide as saucers, "In…love…?"

Nightystar placed her hand on cologne's shoulder, "My friend, if what she says is true, it changes everything. If she is indeed talking about your mom, and I believe she is, you will need to proceed with great caution. I am reasonably certain that something happened to your mother during the time she was imprisoned. She may not even be the same person and if that's true, then it wouldn't be right to attack her blindly."

Cologne stared at her hands, "What am I going to do now?"

"You'll do what you've always done in the past. Move on with what you feel in your heart is best for everyone, and yourself."

She paused for a moment, "You made this a quest to find your mom, correct?"

Cologne nodded.

"Well then, you should continue that quest and see it to its end, but consider what you have just heard and be open minded when you confront her."

Cologne faced her long time friend, "Alright, Nighty. I will."

Turning towards Malinda, Cologne smiled, "It is a good thing I stopped by for a visit, I now have a lot more to think about."

Lowering her eyes she continued, "I'm sorry I deceived you earlier."

Malinda nodded, "If what you say is true, then I can understand your caution."

"Thank you. It's getting late and we must be leaving now if we are to make it to Gnomeregan within the next couple of hours."

She then turned towards her old friend, "It was good to see you again, Nighty."

Nightystar smiled and nodded, "It was good to see you as well, my friend. Please take care. The dangers of Gnomeregan are well known in these lands."

Cologne nodded, turned and left.

Across the small village, B'jack was sipping his third ale, "I wonder if Col has found anything. She's been gone a while now."

Cartier smiled, "You know how she is, if there's a clue in this village, she'll search till she finds it."

B'jack huffed, "Yeah, yeah. But if she doesn't hurry up, we're gonna lose daylight.

"I'm sure she's well aware of that."

B'jack set his mug down and motioned to the barkeep for another, "Well, at least she's paying for the ale."

A minute later the barkeep set a pair of mugs on the table. B'jack raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why two mugs?"

A very familiar voice responded behind him, "Because one's for me."

B'jack turned quickly as Cologne climbed up on her chair. "Darn it, Col! Ya could at least give me a warning before ya sneak up on me like that."

Cartier chuckled, "How did it go, Col? Did you find what you were looking for?"

Cologne took a quick swig of her ale, "Mom and the hunter came through here a couple of days ago. They were on their way to Gnomeregan."

B'jack grunted, "So that's it, then. We're going to Gnomer."

Cologne raised her mug, "Right after we finish this ale. I did find something interesting, though. Mom may have lost some of her warlock ability while she was trapped in the mageglass."

Cartier raised an eyebrow, "That would make our job a lot easier if it's true. Do you have any idea why she's going to Gnomeregan?"

Cologne drank the rest of her ale and set the mug on the table, "According to the local healer, she didn't say why. She only told her that she needed to get inside the city."

Cartier set her empty mug down, "Perhaps she is looking for a rare artifact."

B'jack shook his head, "Good luck there! From what I've seen of it, just getting past the troggs is bad enough, but with radiated gnomes and oozes running about, not to mention those crazy mech riders, it's nearly impossible to go very far into that place.

Cologne nodded, "No doubt. But there may be more to this than meets the eye."

Cartier stood up and picked up her things, "Well then, we'd better get going if we want find out what's going on."

B'jack polished off the rest of his ale, "Right behind ya."

Once they had packed their equipment back on the mounts, they headed out of town in the direction of Gnomeregan. Cologne pointed to the tracks in the snow, "The healer said they headed along this trail. Those tracks must be theirs."

B'jack stopped for a moment and studied the footprints in the snow, "Yeah, it could be them. I see just a pair of tracks here, one medium and one small. There's also a set of bear tracks that seem to cross back and forth across theirs."

They rode a bit further and B'jack pointed to the green vapors drifting up over the trees to the left. "We're getting close now. As I recall, those steam vents are just outside the main entrance."

Cologne was about to comment when she noticed something in the snow ahead, "It looks like something happened up there."

A minute later they were close enough to see the bodies. Cartier hopped off her horse and inspected the corpses, "It's hard to tell how long these two died, but hey seem to be decomposing rapidly from within."

Cologne gazed sadly at the two gnomes, "Yes, it's caused by radiation exposure. When the troggs overran the city the decision was made to flush all of Gnomeregan with the waste fuel from the power plant. It was hoped that the radiation would either kill the troggs or drive them away. Instead it enraged the troggs further and contaminated the gnomes remaining in the city. There's no known cure to this madness, but at least for these poor souls, the torment has ended."

Cartier climbed back on her horse and they continued along the trail. After a short while, B'jack pointed ahead, "Hey Col, it looks like there was another fight up there too."

Cologne hopped off her strider and checked the bodies. Unlike the first pair, these were normal gnomes showing no sign of radiation sickness. B'jack pointed to the holes in their backs, "Those are gunshot wounds, Col. You don't suppose the hunter shot em, do you?"

Cologne shook her head, "I don't know B'jack, these folks look like they were running away from the city. Someone shot them from that direction. Lets fan out a bit and see if there are any clues to what happened."

B'jack walked up the trail a bit while Cologne and Cartier checked to the sides. It wasn't long before B'jack called out. They hurried over to him as he pointed to a pair of greenish bodies in the snow, "What do you make of that?"

Cologne saw that the eyes of the decomposing gnomes had been burned out, "I've never seen anything like that and I don't think was caused by the radiation."

B'jack pointed to the pair of rifles near the bodies, "Well, now we know it wasn't the hunter that shot em. These two must have been chasing those others back there. I've never seen anything like this either, but whoever did must have hit them after they shot the gnomes back there."

Cartier turned to Cologne, "I was going to call you over, but B'jack beat me to it. I found something else I think you should see."

Cologne smiled, "Lead the way."

Cartier led them back down the trail a bit then off to the side she headed towards a clump of trees. When the others joined her, she pointed to a pair of small tracks in the snow, "They go from tree to tree as if somebody was carefully following them. The footprint is smaller than a gnome, but still humanoid."

Cologne rubbed her chin a bit, "Good work, Cartier. I don't know if it's important, but we should be more watchful of everything from now on."

Looking towards the horses she continued, "We can tie up our mounts at the entrance and then we'll head on inside."

They got back on their mounts and carefully made their way to the entrance. Again they came across irradiated gnomes laying dead in the snow, but only silently passed them by as they continued on. Just outside the entrance they found a place to tie up the horses and a place for cologne to park her strider. Once the gear was unloaded, they walked through the great arched entrance and down the long corridor into Gnomeregan.

Nightystar smiled. She had stopped working on the shelved items and was now sitting next to Cologne. Almost angelic in her appearance, her white hair flowed down to the middle of her back. Her face was oval shaped with a small pointed chin, long pointed ears, and extended eyebrows. When she spoke, her voice had a soothing effect on those around her. She laughed softly as she spoke, "What's the matter, old friend? You look as if you've seen a ghost."

Cologne laughed, "Gads, you scared the wits out of me for a second there, Nighty."

She then hopped off the chair, reached over and gave her friend a big hug, "It's good to see you again, but what brings you to this little village?"

Nightystar smiled, "Every year I stop over at Ironforge to help with the training of new priests. While I'm doing that, I also stop here and visit Malinda. She's not a true priest, but she has the technical healing skills. I provide her with the potions, bandages and salves needed to help the Gnomeregan escapees."

Looking into Cologne's eyes, she continued, "I can sense that something is bothering you. Tell me, old friend…what brings you out here?"

Cologne looked at her hands for a moment, "She's free, Nighty. Mom's been freed from the mageglass. We found out a few days ago, and after checking the house for ourselves, we tracked her to this village. Since she isn't here, we think she went on to Gnomeregan."

There was a slight cough as Malinda cleared her throat, "I don't want to intrude in your little reunion, but from what I've just heard, you're saying that Perfyume is your mom?"

Cologne's eyes got a bit bigger, "uh-oh…."

Malinda continued, "Well. That answers that. You certainly do look a lot like her."

She became very stern and glared at the mage, "Look Cologne, I don't like being made a fool out of, and I really don't like being lied to. When Perfyume and John were here, I thought they were one of the nicest couples I've had the pleasure to meet. You have just five minutes to tell me what's going on before I call the guards."

Cologne stuttered, "C-couple? Did you say couple?"

Nightystar placed her hand on Cologne's shoulder, "We'll fill you in, Malinda, but what we tell you right now must be kept secret."

Malinda nodded, "Alright Nightystar, for you I'll promise to keep this a secret."

Cologne then proceeded to tell the tale of how Perfyume suffered from the loss of her husband and how she blamed the dwarven race and many others for his death. She continued with how Perfyume searched the world for the magic of ancient warlocks and plotted to use this power to destroy Ironforge and create an army of mindless slaves. Cologne finished by explaining how she had disobeyed a high council order to kill her mom and instead imprisoned her in mageglass.

Malinda looked at Cologne for a moment, "You have got to be kidding me. I'm having a really hard time swallowing your story about her being a powerful warlock of such great evil that a high council ordered her killed. While she was here, we had a good long talk and let me tell you, I thought she was one of the nicest gnomes I've met in a long time. You're lucky Nightystar is here to back you up, or I would have laughed you right out of town."

Cologne rubbed her temples, "I know. This isn't making any sense to me either. You mentioned something about a couple earlier. Were you talking about her and that hunter?"

Malinda giggled, "Yeah. You should have seen the two of them carry on. The whole town got a kick watching them try to hide the way they felt about each other. She obviously cares a lot for him, even if she won't let on to anyone else. And that hunter! He's so hung up on her that I'm surprised he can even think straight. Even though they probably don't know it yet, it's pretty obvious to me that those two are falling in love."

Cologne's eyes grew as wide as saucers, "In…love…?"

Nightystar placed her hand on cologne's shoulder, "My friend, if what she says is true, it changes everything. If she is indeed talking about your mom, and I believe she is, you will need to proceed with great caution. I am reasonably certain that something happened to your mother during the time she was imprisoned. She may not even be the same person and if that's true, then it wouldn't be right to attack her blindly."

Cologne stared at her hands, "What am I going to do now?"

"You'll do what you've always done in the past. Move on with what you feel in your heart is best for everyone, and yourself."

She paused for a moment, "You made this a quest to find your mom, correct?"

Cologne nodded.

"Well then, you should continue that quest and see it to its end, but consider what you have just heard and be open minded when you confront her."

Cologne faced her long time friend, "Alright, Nighty. I will."

Turning towards Malinda, Cologne smiled, "It is a good thing I stopped by for a visit, I now have a lot more to think about."

Lowering her eyes she continued, "I'm sorry I deceived you earlier."

Malinda nodded, "If what you say is true, then I can understand your caution."

"Thank you. It's getting late and we must be leaving now if we are to make it to Gnomeregan within the next couple of hours."

She then turned towards her old friend, "It was good to see you again, Nighty."

Nightystar smiled and nodded, "It was good to see you as well, my friend. Please take care. The dangers of Gnomeregan are well known in these lands."

Cologne nodded, turned and left.

Across the small village, B'jack was sipping his third ale, "I wonder if Col has found anything. She's been gone a while now."

Cartier smiled, "You know how she is, if there's a clue in this village, she'll search till she finds it."

B'jack huffed, "Yeah, yeah. But if she doesn't hurry up, we're gonna lose daylight.

"I'm sure she's well aware of that."

B'jack set his mug down and motioned to the barkeep for another, "Well, at least she's paying for the ale."

A minute later the barkeep set a pair of mugs on the table. B'jack raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why two mugs?"

A very familiar voice responded behind him, "Because one's for me."

B'jack turned quickly as Cologne climbed up on her chair. "Darn it, Col! Ya could at least give me a warning before ya sneak up on me like that."

Cartier chuckled, "How did it go, Col? Did you find what you were looking for?"

Cologne took a quick swig of her ale, "Mom and the hunter came through here a couple of days ago. They were on their way to Gnomeregan."

B'jack grunted, "So that's it, then. We're going to Gnomer."

Cologne raised her mug, "Right after we finish this ale. I did find something interesting, though. Mom may have lost some of her warlock ability while she was trapped in the mageglass."

Cartier raised an eyebrow, "That would make our job a lot easier if it's true. Do you have any idea why she's going to Gnomeregan?"

Cologne drank the rest of her ale and set the mug on the table, "According to the local healer, she didn't say why. She only told her that she needed to get inside the city."

Cartier set her empty mug down, "Perhaps she is looking for a rare artifact."

B'jack shook his head, "Good luck there! From what I've seen of it, just getting past the troggs is bad enough, but with radiated gnomes and oozes running about, not to mention those crazy mech riders, it's nearly impossible to go very far into that place.

Cologne nodded, "No doubt. But there may be more to this than meets the eye."

Cartier stood up and picked up her things, "Well then, we'd better get going if we want find out what's going on."

B'jack polished off the rest of his ale, "Right behind ya."

Once they had packed their gear back on the mounts, they headed out of town in the direction of Gnomeregan. Cologne pointed to the tracks in the snow, "The healer said they headed along this trail. Those tracks must be theirs."

B'jack stopped for a moment and studied the footprints in the snow, "Yeah, it could be them. I see just a pair of tracks here, one medium and one small. There's also a set of bear tracks that seem to cross back and forth across theirs."

They rode a bit further and B'jack pointed to the green vapors drifting up over the trees to the left. "We're getting close now. As I recall, those steam vents are just outside the main entrance."

Cologne was about to comment when she noticed something in the snow ahead, "It looks like something happened up there."

A minute later they were close enough to see the bodies. Cartier hopped off her horse and inspected the corpses, "It's hard to tell how long these two died, but hey seem to be decomposing rapidly from within."

Cologne gazed sadly at the two gnomes, "Yes, it's caused by radiation exposure. When the troggs overran the city the decision was made to flush all of Gnomeregan with the waste fuel from the power plant. It was hoped that the radiation would either kill the troggs or drive them away. Instead it enraged the troggs further and contaminated the gnomes remaining in the city. There's no known cure to this madness, but at least for these poor souls, the torment has ended."

Cartier climbed back on her horse and they continued along the trail. After a short while, B'jack pointed ahead, "Hey Col, it looks like there was another fight up there too."

Cologne hopped off her strider and checked the bodies. Unlike the first pair, these were normal gnomes showing no sign of radiation sickness. B'jack pointed to the holes in their backs, "Those are gunshot wounds, Col. You don't suppose the hunter shot em, do you?"

Cologne shook her head, "I don't know B'jack, these folks look like they were running away from the city. Someone shot them from that direction. Lets fan out a bit and see if there are any clues to what happened."

B'jack walked up the trail a bit while Cologne and Cartier checked to the sides. It wasn't long before B'jack called out. They hurried over to him as he pointed to a pair of greenish bodies in the snow, "What do you make of that?"

Cologne saw that the eyes of the decomposing gnomes had been burned out, "I've never seen anything like that and I don't think was caused by the radiation."

B'jack pointed to the pair of rifles near the bodies, "Well, now we know it wasn't the hunter that shot em. These two must have been chasing those others back there. I've never seen anything like this either, but whoever did must have hit them after they shot the gnomes back there."

Cartier turned to Cologne, "I was going to call you over, but B'jack beat me to it. I found something else I think you should see."

Cologne smiled, "Lead the way."

Cartier led them back down the trail a bit then off to the side she headed towards a clump of trees. When the others joined her, she pointed to a pair of small tracks in the snow, "They go from tree to tree as if somebody was carefully following them. The footprint is smaller than a gnome, but still humanoid."

Cologne rubbed her chin a bit, "Good work, Cartier. I don't know if it's important, but we should be more watchful of everything from now on."

Looking towards the horses she continued, "We can tie up our mounts at the entrance and then we'll head on inside."

They got back on their mounts and carefully made their way to the entrance. Again they came across irradiated gnomes laying dead in the snow, but only silently passed them by as they continued on. Just outside the entrance they found a place to tie up the horses and a place for cologne to park her strider. Once the gear was unloaded, they walked through the great arched entrance and down the long corridor into Gnomeregan.


	18. A Trogg's Toy

Begin Chapter 18 – A Trogg's Toy

Perfyume watched as yet another insane gnome fell to the ground. Since they first entered the gates of Gnomeregan, their progress had been hampered by scores of green skinned gnomes bent on killing them. She turned to her companion, "John, there's got to be a better way than this. I know these people are so far gone that death is a blessing to them, but I don't think I can take much more of this. There's got to be another way around them all."

John looked at his friend, "Aye lass, Ah don't have the stomach for much more of this as well. What say we head back ta that long tunnel we came across earlier? It may be a bit dark, but anything there has ta be better than this meat grinder we're on now."

Turning around, they both headed back along the edge of what was once a large tram station. The floor had been completely blown out by an explosion some time ago, leaving only a platform along the wall. Continuing to carefully make their way down the platform, they came once again to the entrance to the station. A large room with a very high ceiling, the main station entrance contained the passageway to the tramway, the city, and a small maintenance tunnel. As the two adventurers stood in front of the tunnel, John reached into his pack and pulled out his old mining lantern. Once he had it unfolded, he placed a small fuel canister inside and lit it. It wasn't much, but the lantern brought a soft glow to the dark corridor. John raised the lantern and allowed the light to play across the conduit covered walls. "Ya sure you want ta try this route, lass?"

Perfyume looked up at her companion, "I'm tired of having to kill gnomes, John. If they attack us, I'll deal with it. But if I can avoid them by taking another way in, I'd rather do that instead."

She then gave him an evil grin, "Besides…you're not going to let a little bit of darkness shop us, are you?"

John chuckled a bit, "Alright lass. Ah know better than ta argue with you when you set your mind ta something."

As they slowly made their way down the corridor, John panned the lantern back and forth. The piping and conduit that lined the top and sides of the corridor were damp with moisture and as they crept through the dark tunnel, the sound of dripping liquids could he heard splashing against the floor. Perfyume glanced over her shoulder and noticed that due to the gentle curve of the passageway, the entrance was no longer visible. She shivered a bit as the blackness seemed to surround them and dance behind the feeble light being given off by the little lantern. Without thinking, she moved a bit closer to her friend.

John raised the lantern up a bit, "Looks like the tunnel turns sharply up ahead, lass. Either that, or it's a dead end."

Perfyume pointed to the conduit along the walls, "This has to go somewhere, John. The engineers who built this would have wanted access to the piping in order to do maintenance. Where ever these pipes go, there will be some kind of access."

"Aye, that makes sense, lass."

The tunnel did not end as John had first thought, but turned sharply to the left. Immediately after they made the turn, Perfyume pointed excitedly down the tunnel, "Look! You can see light reflecting on the pipes at the far end. There must be light ahead!"

John lowered the lantern and held it behind Perfyume, "Aye, and it's not coming from the lantern."

Cheered at the prospect of finally getting out of the tunnel, they hurried their pace. The tunnel rounded to the right, and as followed it, Perfyume wrinkled her nose, "What is that horrible smell?"

"Ah don't know, lass. But it sure is bad!"

As soon as they had cleared the curve in the tunnel, John grasped Perfyume's arm and whispered, "Something's broke through the side of the tunnel up ahead. That light we're seeing looks like it might be coming from a campfire inside."

John blew out the flame of the lantern and after waiting a minute for the crystal sides to cool, folded and put it in his backpack. Quietly moving a bit closer, they were able to see that a section of the tunnel wall had been pushed out and onto the tunnel floor. Several of the conduits had been torn apart with one leaking a steady stream of blue liquid that ran down the tunnel ahead of them. Whatever was creating the light was inside the opening itself. Throwing shadows across the far side of the tunnel and the conduits mounted there, it gave the appearance of what a campfire would do in a wooded forest.

Perfyume frowned at the rising stench, "That isn't the work of gnomish engineers. Gnomes would have used some kind of cutting tool. That looks like it was just bashed out with crude hammers."

Suddenly there was a wheezing sound followed by a nasty whining. Moments later two figures jumped out into the tunnel. Their filthy, hairy bodies clothed in simple rags, Perfyume instantly recognized them, "Troggs…."

The two troggs immediately turned towards the adventurers and yelled in rage as they charged. John reached behind his back and pulled out his dwarven axe, "No time ta set up the gun or any spells, lass! We gotta fight them here and now!"

Perfyume reached for the dagger at her side and quickly brought it to the ready position. Her eyes narrowed in anger and she settled into a fighter's stance while the troggs charged.

The first trogg attacked john with a swipe of a rusty old dagger. John brought the axe down quickly and blocked the attack while scraping the fingers of the trogg's weapon hand. The trogg screamed in pain while it switched the dagger to the other hand.

The second trogg thought Perfyume was just another helpless gnome and showing its hideous teeth, charged with an over head swing. Perfyume ran under the arms of the trogg and sunk the dagger into its gut. Turning it viciously, she jerked it out while quickly moving to the side of the now screaming trogg. Before it could turn, she shoved the dagger into it's side and gave it another wicked twist as she jerked out. When the trogg tried to attack again, she shoved the dagger deep in it's chest. The trogg looked at the dagger for a moment and then, as its eyes rolled up, fell to the floor and died.

John was having a harder time with his attacker. Cautious from the wound in its hand, the trogg was dodging John's axe. The trogg eyed john for several moments as john moved into position. Suddenly the trogg attacked with a deep thrust. John took a step back to dodge the dagger, but his foot caught on a piece of rubble from the tunnel wall and he suddenly found him self falling onto his back. The trogg quickly moved in and with both hands wrapped around the dagger, charged in to finish the kill. John tried to bring up the axe as a block but knew that the trogg had the advantage of speed and position. The trogg screamed, but instead of continuing it's attack, it just fell over. John stared at the trogg, and the very familiar dagger buried deep in its back. Perfyume reached down and pulled the dagger out, "Gods, John! You really gave me a scare for a second!"

As he got up, John picked up his axe and smiled at his companion with a new fondness, "Aye, the beastie nearly got the better of me when Ah tripped on that rock. Ya saved me hide there, lass. Thanks."

Perfyume blushed a bit, "It's nothing you wouldn't have done, John. In fact, I recall you saving my little hide several times now."

She turned and nodded towards the hole, "I'm sure it's not the only hole they use to get in, but as long as it's there, they have easy access to this part of the city."

"Aye, that they do…."

John thought for a moment longer, "Well, we could try and blow their tunnel with explosives like we did at yer place. Ah don't really have enough ta completely collapse that tunnel, but we can sure make it hard for em ta claw their way back in."

Perfyume smiled, "How much do you need, John?"

He stroked his beard for a moment, "Let's see…the last time we did this we used about six sticks of explosives. This hole here is about four times wider. Hmm… Ah'd say twenty sticks of explosives would do. Of course, that would be only if it was the same stuff we're talking about. Some of that stuff is a lot more potent."

She turned and reached into her backpack. After a few seconds of rummaging about she brought out a bundle. About three inches in diameter and six inches long, she handed it to john, "Maybe this will help."

John carefully unwrapped the bundle. As he lifted the last bit of cloth, his eyes widened in surprise. The bundle contained three green cylinders about six inches long. One end had a skull and crossbones printed on it and the other had bright red triangle. The skull symbolized great danger while the red triangle symbolized the highest level of power. Sweat formed on his brow as he realized that just one of these explosives had more power than twenty of the little things he was carrying at the moment."

"Who-where did you get these?"

"When we were in Ironforge I ran into a gnomish engineer. He was telling me about his newest design in high powered explosives and when I asked him how powerful it was, he gave me these to try out. Naturally I thought about you and how they might come in handy."

John's eyes widened further, "You-you've been carrying this in yer pack all this time?"

She cocked her head to one side, "Sure. The engineer told me that as long as they weren't near a fire or another explosion source, they would be ok."

John calmed himself as he carefully wrapped two of the sticks of explosives back up in the cloth and carefully placed the bundle in his own pack. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out several fuses and began to string them together. "If Ah'm reading the markings correct on that stick, the power of that one explosive is well over twenty times the power of my normal sticks. Ah'm stringing these fuses together so that we can get as far away as possible before it blows."

Perfyume looked at the lone stick John has set aside, "Do you really think that single stick is going to be powerful enough to do the job?"

John smiled nervously as he tied another piece to the growing fuse, "Trust me on this, lass. From what Ah can tell, that stick is pretty much the state of the art in blasting. If we're lucky it will only take out the trogg tunnel and not the one were in right now."

"Oh my."

In a couple of minutes John was holding a fuse nearly three feet long. He showed it to Perfyume and smiled, "Well lass, it's not pretty, but it'll do the job."

Using the point of a dagger he carefully inserted the end of the fuse into the end of the explosive, making sure it was making contact with the chemical itself. Then he picked up the explosive assembly and the lantern. Turning to his friend he grinned, "Ah'm gonna place this a bit in their cave. Ah'll use the lantern ta light it so it won't take long for it ta catch. Once it does, we're high tailing it like a bat outa hell. Ah figure we have about ten seconds."

John quickly walked over to the entrance to the trogg tunnel. Looking from side to side, he noticed a crack in the wall a few yards in. He placed the explosive in the crack and after picking up the lantern, lit the end of the fuse. As soon as the fuse sparked, he turned and ran as quickly as he could.

As he ran, he began to count down to himself, "One thousand and one."

He turned the corner at the opening of the trogg tunnel and ran towards Perfyume standing in the maintenance tunnel, "Start running, lass! Ah'm right behind you!"

"One thousand and two."

Inside the tunnel three troggs entered the opening.

John had by now, caught up with Perfyume and while running, reached down and grasped her hand.

"One thousand and three."

The larger of the troggs noticed the sparking of the fuse and walked over to it.

"One thousand and four."

The big trogg picked up the fuse and watched as it sparkled and burned.

"One thousand and five."

The other two troggs squealed in delight at the sparkling fuse.

"One thousand and six."

One of the troggs reached out and grabbed the fuse, jerking it out of the explosive.

"One thousand and seven."

As the trogg hopped about with its new toy, the larger one glanced down at the green cylinder the fuse was attached to.

"One thousand and eight."

The trogg picked up the explosive and after wrinkling its nose at the smell of the chemical, tossed it.

"One thousand and nine."

The explosive arced through the tunnel and landed in the campfire.

"One thousand and ten."

Down in the tunnel, john picked up Perfyume and held her close to his chest. With her tightly against him he whispered, "Forgive me, lass."

The small amount of chemical spilling from the opening ignited and milliseconds later the explosive itself detonated.

An instant later the shock wave from the blast surged down the tunnel and hit the two adventurers. John was thrown off his feet and tossed dozens of yards down the tunnel. When at last he came to a stop, he shook his head to clear the foggy feeling he was having from being tossed like a rag doll. Several pebbles fell from his beard as he realized the explosive was a lot more powerful than he originally thought. Opening his arms up, he checked on his companion. To his relief, she was moving, "Lass? Are ya ok?"

Just before the tunnel was bathed in the flash of the explosion, Perfyume was surprised when John picked her up. His huge arms held her close to his chest and beard and she could have sworn she heard him mumble something about an apology. She never had a chance to question him because in that instant the explosive ignited and her world was turned upside down. She couldn't see anything, but she heard the blast and felt the concussion as the two of them were thrown down the tunnel. Terrified that they were going to die, she screamed at the top of her lungs while grabbing onto john's beard and leather vest for all she was worth. The first landing knocked the wind out of her and for a moment she felt as she was being crushed. It was over in a moment though, and after they came to a rest, she feared for her companion. When he moved, tears formed in her eyes and like a dam bursting, she let them flow while she clutched tightly to her friend.

Hearing the sobs and realizing that Perfyume was crying, John placed his hand on the back of her head and gently stroked her hair, "There, there lass. Everything's gonna be ok."

After a few seconds, she brought her hand up and wiped the tears from her eyes. Turning her head up, she looked at John. "I-I'm sorry about breaking down like that. I just never realized the blast was going to be so powerful and when it hit us, it really scared me."

"Aye. Ah gotta admit, in all me days of using explosives, Ah've never seen or felt anything like that one."

After a few moments, he slowly sat up. He took a few breaths and after looking at his hands and arms chuckled, "Well lass, Ah don't have any broken bones, though Ah'm sure to have a bruise or two. How are you feeling after that little ride?"

Perfyume gently got up and after brushing a few of the pebbles off of herself, took a few steps before turning to John, "I seem to be ok, although I'm also pretty sore from that landing."

"Aye, it was pretty nasty at that. Ah'm glad yer alright, though."

Looking up the tunnel he frowned, "That blast was pretty darn big, lass. As powerful as that was, Ah'm certain the tunnel up there is pretty much gone."

Perfyume smiled at her friend, "Your probably right, John. Even so, I would like to make sure those vile things can't get out and sneak up behind us. I think we should take a quick look at the damage."

John rubbed his beard, "Aye, we could take a quick look, but we need ta be careful. Once a tunnel is caved in, it'll be unstable for quite awhile till things settle down."

Perfyume nodded and after picking up her pack, careful followed her companion back up the tunnel. At first the floor was covered with pebbles, but it wasn't long until they were stepping over larger rocks. The tunnel itself was filled with dust as dirt fell from cracks in the tunnel lining. Soon John stopped and pointed ahead. Through the dust in the air, it could be seen that the tunnel had collapsed onto itself and the passageway was now closed for good. Satisfied with their handiwork, they headed back down the tunnel.

As before, the tunnel twisted and turned as it made its way through the rock. Perfyume noticed a glow on the pipes ahead and pointed with excitement, "I see a light again, John! Perhaps we are near the end."

John lowered his voice, "Aye, Ah'd like that very much, but after that little tangle we had earlier, Ah think we need Smokey and your blue beastie."

Perfyume nodded and prepared her summoning spell. While she was channeling, John pulled the whistle out of his pocket and gave it a few toots. Moments later the voidwalker appeared next to Perfyume. Recognizing his master, he growled for a moment before moving by her side.

Perfyume turned to john after glancing down the tunnel, "Where's Smokey? I hope he didn't get hurt in that blast."

John laughed, "Old Smokey's pretty tough. If something had happened ta him, Ah'd be feeling it. He knows Ah'm calling and he'll get ta me as fast as he can."

Perfyume glanced down the tunnel, "Alright, if we run into trouble, the voidwalker can agitate them for a while until we fire our ranged weapons and spells."

John got his gun ready before they continued their journey down the tunnel. As soon as they rounded the curve, a bright circle of light could be seen a short distance away.

Perfyume nearly leaped into the air, "John! There it is! It's the end of the tunnel!"

A couple of minutes later they were standing in the exit of the tunnel. Before them was a very large passageway. An elevated platform ran on each side about a quarter of the way up the side of the walls. At the top of the passageway there were mounted a pair of I-beams that ran the entire length as far as the eye could see. Flat panels mounted against the passageway walls glowed and bathed everything in an odd bluish light.

John heard a familiar growl and turned to see Smokey lumbering towards him. When the bruin got close enough, he wrapped his arm around it's neck and scratched behind it's ears, "Hey old boy! Where ya been?"

Perfyume chuckled, "Well, he sure looks happy to see us."

Looking up at the massive beams overhead she grinned, "Now I know where I've seen those beams. We're inside a tramway and those are the supports for the trams. This corridor is probably what they used to travel through the city."

"Aye, yer right! Ah've seen those over in Ironforge."

Perfyume looked down one end of the corridor, which way should we go now? I don't want to head back towards all those gnomes."

John pointed to the right, "Well lass, Smokey came from the right, so Ah'm assuming that he came from that area full of infected gnomes we were fighting our way through earlier. It'd be my guess that we head ta the left if we want ta continue on our way."

Perfyume smiled, "I'll trust your judgment on that, John. Between you and Smokey, I'm sure we're going in the right direction."

John laughed, "As long as the old boy isn't on the scent o food, we'll be okay."

Perfyume couldn't help it, and for the first time in many years, a gnome was heard giggling in Gnomeregan.


	19. losing the Trail

Chapter 19 – Losing the Trail

B'jack stepped onto the massive elevator that was the main entrance gate to Gnomeregan. Shaped like a giant disk, it served as the primary means to prevent enemies from entering the city. As Cologne and Cartier stepped on, he commented, "It always amazes me how this thing and the lights and stuff in the city are still running. I thought that the main power plant for the city was down."

As cologne walked over to the control panel near the edge of the elevator, she exclaimed, "Most of this stuff I think is on a separate supply of its own. The lights we see are a lot dimmer than they should be, so I think it's probably some kind of emergency power."

As she engaged the elevator, B'jack looked down at his feet nervously, "I hope it's not gonna fail anytime soon. It's a long way to the bottom."

As the elevator began its slow decent, Cartier grinned at B'jack, "What's the worst that can happen? You and Cologne have been on this thing lots of times and nothing's gone wrong before."

B'jack smiled back, "Yeah, I guess you're right. Might as well enjoy the ride."

As luck would have it, down below in a dark tunnel, a certain trogg picked that moment to toss a green stick of explosive into a camp fire. When the explosive detonated, it sent shock waves all through Gnomeregan. Because of the depth of the rock, most of the city was spared any real damage. The shock wave of the blast immediately destroyed the portion of the tunnel that Perfyume and John had traveled down, protecting them from the true power of the blast. Losing that portion of the tunnel as a path to relieve the tremendous pressure now building by the millisecond, it charged down the other end of the tunnel at mach one. As the pressure built up, it stripped the walls of piping and stone. The piping burst and sprayed their contents into the tunnel. Some of the liquids were inert such as water, but one pipe held an alcohol based fuel used for the gnomish striders. As the alcohol mixed with the air of the tunnel, it reached just the right ratio of air to fuel and detonated. The brute power of the blast buckled the tunnel walls, destroying everything in its path. As the blast wave advanced, the wreckage piled up before it and rode the shock wave like a cannon ball. When this mass of pipe and stone exited the tunnel, it shot across the station entrance to the wall on the other side and embed itself into the rock. The force of this much debris hitting solid rock was only a tenth of the power of the explosion that caused it, but it shook the very foundation of the station entrance and the elevator sitting just a dozen yards away.

Cologne and Cartier were thrown to the floor of the elevator when the shockwave hit. B'jack grabbed a hold of the railing and yelled through the roar, "Cologne! Cartier! Hang on to something!"

The platform shook violently and dust flew upward through the elevator shaft, filling their vision with a dark brown haze. Cologne yelled back, "I'm okay! I just banged my knee on the floor when I was knocked down."

Moments later, "I see Cartier! She's down!"

As the elevator platform slowed its shaking, Cologne and B'jack ran over to their friend. Cologne knelt beside her and noted with a sigh of relief that she was alive and awake, "Cartier. Are you okay?"

Cartier blinked a few times before looking at her friend, "Yes…I believe I am, Col. That blast or whatever it was knocked me down pretty hard."

As Cartier attempted to sit up, B'jack placed his arm behind her for support, "Here, let me give ya a hand."

Cartier looked around and coughed, "I can barely see through all this dust. What could have caused it?"

B'jack held his friend steady as the elevator platform continued to shake, "Cologne, you don't suppose the smaller power plant blew, do you?"

Cologne carefully walked over to the control panel. Through the fading dust, she could see that although the elevator had stopped, the controls were still lit up. "The Elevator still has power, so I don't think it was the emergency power plant. It has to be something else, most likely an explosion somewhere in the city below."

When the shaking had almost stopped and Cologne turned to her companions, "Looks like we have two choices. One, I can open up a portal to Ironforge, or we can see if this thing will restart when I hit the button. I don't know what happened down there, and there is no telling how much damage the elevator took. Once this thing starts moving again, if it does, I won't be able to stop it until it reaches the bottom of the shaft."

Cartier brushed the dust off of her robes, "We've come this far and it would be a shame to head back. Besides, B'jack hasn't had a chance to tarnish any of his armor."

B'jack smirked, "I've been itchin ta cross some steel with someone, but all we've come across were the dead ones on the way in. I say ya hit the button and we go on down."

Cologne smiled as she slammed her hand down on the control, "I knew I could count on you two."

A screech echoed from down below and the floor jerked downwards for several feet. After shaking up and down for several seconds, it began to smooth out and move downwards at a more or less steady pace. As the elevator moved down the shaft, smoke and dust drifted up around the edge of the platform.

Cologne pointed at the rising dust as it rose up the shaft, "The main air vents for the city must be closed. The air isn't supposed to rise up around the platform like that."

Cartier watched the smoke rise around them, "If the main air vents are closed, that would prevent the air in the city, especially the lower parts from being ventilated."

Cologne nodded, "We have always wondered why the sickness has continued to spread though the city. If those vents are indeed closed, the Gnomeregan officials in Ironforge will be very interested to know about it."

The elevator groaned and began to slow. Cologne covered her mouth and nose with the collar of her robe, "We're nearing the bottom, cover your face!"

No sooner had she warned them than the elevator entered the station entrance. Smoke and dust billowed into the platform as it settled onto the floor. The three travelers covered their mouths with robes and rags in an effort to breath through the polluted air. Cologne coughed and pointed towards a dull glow, "Something must have blown here. Perhaps a panel or a fuse box."

As they moved away from the elevator, the air seemed to clear a bit. B'jack pointed to the wall ahead where the glow originated, "I think it's a lot worse than a panel, Col."

As Cologne looked at what B'jack was pointing towards, she began to make out the details of what had happened earlier and gasped, "By the gods. What could have happened here to cause this?"

Cologne stared in amazement at the huge hole where once stood the doorway for a maintenance tunnel. The blast had increased the size of the opening enough that it now was more of large oval shape. Large blackened cracks arced away from the opening and smoke could still be seen drifting from within. Pieces of pipe and wiring hung out of the opening as if they were made of paper. Across the large entrance room a huge blackened mass of rubble was embedded deep into the wall. She pointed at the wreckage, "I've never seen anything like this."

Cartier shook her head for a moment, "I can't imagine."

B'jack smirked, "I can…. Take a look at that opening. The walls and ceiling have been pushed out by a great force. Look at all of those pipes, the way they're pulled out and hanging there. What yer looking at is the barrel of a really big gun."

He pointed across the room, "That pile of junk over there was shot out of this hole just like a cannon ball."

Cologne eyed the damaged hole for a short while, "Yes, I can see what you mean there, B'jack. But it would take an extremely large blast to do this much damage. I know of no gnomish explosives with that kind of power."

B'jack shrugged, "I can't tell ya that, Col. It might have been a fuel leak from a storage tank, or something further up in the tunnel blew up. We may never know."

Cartier looked at Cologne, "As much as I'd like to investigate this further, we're not getting any closer to finding your mom by just standing here."

Cologne lowered her eyes for a moment, "You're right, of course. I'm curious about what happened here, but we need to continue our search."

Looking at Cartier, she smiled, "Since we have B'jack to keep them away from us, you don't need to have your voidwalker or the felhunter out, do you?"

Cartier looked at the gnome for a moment. She then grinned evilly as she glanced over at B'jack, "Yes, I'll need to summon something that will aid our fearless paladin."

Cartier chuckled and spread her hands out as she summoned a new pet. Moments later it stood before Cartier. Turning around, its eyes brightened as something caught its eye. In a low, sultry voice, it called out, "Beejack!"

The paladin knew exactly who had called his name. Owning a trim and shapely body, along with a hypnotic, glowing pair of eyes, the Demoness also possessed leather wings and hooved feet. A demonic tail stuck out of the back of her skimpy bottom and her black nails were as sharp as knives. Her obvious weapon was the coiled whip she wore at her side, but it was her seductive allure that gave her the name of succubus. Her enchanted kiss could turn the hardest man, or woman into her willing slave.

B'jack took several quick steps back, "N-now Cartier. There's no need to bring her out now, is there?"

As the demoness took a slow step towards B'jack, Cartier called out sternly, "That's enough! You'll have time for that on our enemies. B'jack is off limits."

The succubus pouted for a moment and then moved to Cartier's side.

Cologne nodded towards the trio, "Alright. Let's get going."

The group made their way around the wreckage and through the great hall that was the entrance to the tram station. The dust was still thick here but as they made their way along towards the end, the floating dust began to thin out. The adventurers continued until three large arched doorways became visible in the dust.

B'jack pointed towards the far arch, "Look, there's a few troggs over there. It looks like the blast got em."

Cartier nodded, "We won't be worrying about those. The force of the blast hit them pretty hard."

Cologne turned towards Cartier, "Had we gotten here a bit earlier, that might very well be us piled up with those troggs. We were very lucky."

They entered the center arch and continued through the short corridor that led to the tram station itself. The inside walls and flooring of the corridor were covered with a fine dust from effects of the blast. Being careful not to stir any up within the narrow corridor they walked a short distance until they entered the great hall that was the main tram station.

B'jack pointed across the hall, "Would ya look at that?"

The station itself was a large circular structure about two hundred yards in diameter and three hundred yards tall. They stood on top of a wide platform that completely ringed the station. To the right was a very large portal that went back into the city itself. At the top of that opening could be seen a pair of twisted metal beams that used to support the trams that came out of the opening. Across the structure, several other portals could be seen, the tram rails, twisted and torn, hung from the openings and draped down to the floor below. Across the station to the far side, was a grayish area that resembled the dust from the corridor.

Cartier looked at the far side for a moment, "It looks like the dust was blasted out of these openings and sprayed across to the other side. Other than that, it's pretty clear in here.

Cologne looked at the damage and her eyes began to shimmer, "When I was younger, this was a wondrous place. The trams would come and go through here night and day. From here you could take a tram anywhere in the city. They were in the process of building a connection to Ironforge when disaster stuck. As the tunnel was being dug, a cavern was exposed deep in the rock. The engineers didn't think the cavern was worth investigating, and covered the entrance to the cavern with stone while they continued to dig. A few days later, troggs began pouring out of the tunnels and attacking anything they came across. When they found their way to the main power plant, they began to tear it apart. The power plant used a dangerous fuel recently discovered by dwarven miners. It produced a great amount of power for the city, but in return for that power, we had to keep the inner workings of the plant very cool. We did this by drawing in ice cold water from the snow pack in the hills around the city. The heated water was then used to warm the city and even supply the baths in the apartment sectors. The troggs broke the supply pipes that fed cold water to the power plant. Without water to keep it cool, it heated up rapidly. Within minutes it reached its critical temperature and exploded. The power plant was located in the center of the city and several hundred feet below in a room with thick stone walls. Directly above were the main laboratories and shops that depended on the plant to supply the power they needed. Thousands of gnomes worked there designing and building new gadgets for our people. When the plant blew, it completely destroyed those shops and killed everyone in them. The blast shook the city to its core. When the shock wave hit here, it ripped all of the tram rails from their mounts, throwing the wreckage down to the floor far below. Many trams fell into that wreckage, killing all those aboard. On that day alone, over fifteen thousand of my people lost their lives."

As the memories washed over her, Cologne's eyes brimmed with tears and her voice failed her. Moments later, she felt a large gloved hand gently rest on her shoulder as B'jack reassured her, "Hey Col. I can't say I know how ya feel, but I can tell ya that me an Cartier are always here for ya. I know ya feel a lotta hurt about all this, but let's keep moving and see if we can get to your mom before anyone else gets hurt."

Cologne quickly wiped her eyes and reached around to firmly grasp the hand on her shoulder. Turning, she looked up at the Paladin, "Thanks, B'jack. This place always gets to me. Knowing my mom is somewhere in these ruins overwhelmed me for a bit."

She turned around and made a sweeping motion with her arms, "Mom always loved this city. She was a big part in all of the major projects during her time. If she is seeing this for the first time, it's going to be very hard on her. Anything that delays her progress will give us a chance to catch up. We must be off!"

They turned and began to walk along the walkway that ringed the station. Cologne pointed towards a stair case that descended towards the bottom level. As they approached they heard a whining sound and moments later, two large troggs leaped up from the stairs. Without thinking, B'jack positioned himself in front of the two casters and for the first time, unsheathed his sword. Discovered in the catacombs of the Scarlet Monastery, its normal metallic sheen of steel now glowed red in the presence of danger. Cartier pointed towards one of the troggs and the succubus giggled as it cast its spell. Moments later, the trogg dropped its dagger as it stared at the succubus in total adoration. While the second trogg scramed at its companion, B'jack ended its life with a quick slash to the trogg's side. Turning towards the paralyzed one, he buried the sword deeply into its chest. As he withdrew it, the troggs blood that remained on the edge was drawn into the core of the sword. With no enemies remaining, the sword returned to its normal metallic appearance.

Cartier commented as the red glow faded, "I'll never understand what those fanatics in the Monastery were doing with a vampiric blade like that."

Before anyone could comment further, a high pitched scream was heard coming from the bottom of the stairs. Cartier took off down the stairs yelling, "That sounded like a girl's scream!"

Cologne was surprised as well by the sound, but called out as she ran to catch up, "Cartier! Wait up! It might be a trap!"

Cartier had already stopped at the bottom and immediately sent her succubus out towards a group of six troggs. They were leaping up and trying to reach for a piece of tram rail that was hanging just above them. Clinging to the end of the rail with her arms and legs wrapped around it tightly was a little gnomish girl. B'jack had his sword out and was running towards the mob. Cartier was already beginning to cast her Searing Pain spell as Cologne prepared to cast Blizzard.

As B'jack charged the troggs, he yelled out. The frightened little gnome turned her head around and saw two casters and a warrior preparing to save her. Her eyes widened impossibly large as she screamed, "Help! I can't hold on much longer!"

B'jack heard the heard the girl call out and moving quickly, struck each of the troggs with his sword. While not doing much damage, it angered them all immensely and he smiled evilly as they leaped towards him.

Cologne saw the troggs turn their attention to B'jack and called to Cartier, "Now! Hit them hard!"

Cartier had already built up her spell moments before. Raising her hands above her head, she mouthed a trio of words to herself and completed the spell known as Searing Pain. Moments later the troggs screamed in agony as it began to take effect.

Cologne raised her hands above her head while looking directly at the troggs. Small blue globes of light began to form at her fingertips and as they did, flew up and gathered directly above the troggs. The air began to chill as a swirling grey cloud started to form and envelope the blue globes. Moments later, pointed shards of ice began to rain down upon the doomed troggs. As the spells decimated the troggs, B'jack quickly moved and ended their pain as his sword glowed a bright red.

As the last trogg died, B'jack ran under the little gnome and called out, "I'm right below you, little girl! Let go, and I'll catch you."

The young gnome stared down at her rescuers. Thankful for being saved, she was still afraid of letting go of the piece of metal that had, up to now, kept her safe from the troggs. While she thought about it, she relaxed a bit and her tired arms and legs let go of the rail. Thinking she was about to die, she screamed again, only to be suddenly stopped in her downward fall by the arms of B'jack as he caught her. "Gotcha! I told ya I'd catch ya!"

The young gnome looked up at the human that had saved her, reached up and threw her arms around his neck, hugged him tightly, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Cartier smirked, "How do you like that? We do all the hard work, and lover boy gets all the hugs."

Cologne chuckled as B'jack walked over to where they were standing, "Lets see if we can pry her off of him for a minute."

"Hello there, little one. Are you alright?"

The little gnome released her grip on B'jack and looked down at Cologne. Grinning from ear to ear, she hopped down and stood before her, "Thank you so much for saving me! I thought for sure I was done for until you came along!"

Shorter than Cologne, her hair, face and clothing were covered with dust. Never the less, her large eyes and puffy ponytail made her look very cute.

Cologne smiled warmly, "We were glad to help. The paladin there is called B'jack. The young woman by my side is Cartier and my name is Cologne."

The little gnome bowed then looked at her new friends with warm eyes, "I'm very pleased to meet you. My name is Amicute, but my friends just call me Ami."

B'jack stepped onto the massive elevator that was the main entrance gate to Gnomeregan. Shaped like a giant disk, it served as the primary means to prevent enemies from entering the city. As Cologne and Cartier stepped on, he commented, "It always amazes me how this thing and the lights and stuff in the city are still running. I thought that the main power plant for the city was down."

As cologne walked over to the control panel near the edge of the elevator, she exclaimed, "Most of this stuff I think is on a separate supply of its own. The lights we see are a lot dimmer than they should be, so I think it's probably some kind of emergency power."

As she engaged the elevator, B'jack looked down at his feet nervously, "I hope it's not gonna fail anytime soon. It's a long way to the bottom."

As the elevator began its slow decent, Cartier grinned at B'jack, "What's the worst that can happen? You and Cologne have been on this thing lots of times and nothing's gone wrong before."

B'jack smiled back, "Yeah, I guess you're right. Might as well enjoy the ride."

As luck would have it, down below in a dark tunnel, a certain trogg picked that moment to toss a green stick of explosive into a camp fire. When the explosive detonated, it sent shock waves all through Gnomeregan. Because of the depth of the rock, most of the city was spared any real damage. The shock wave of the blast immediately destroyed the portion of the tunnel that Perfyume and John had traveled down, protecting them from the true power of the blast. Losing that portion of the tunnel as a path to relieve the tremendous pressure now building by the millisecond, the shockwave charged down the other end of the tunnel at mach one. As the pressure built up, it stripped the walls of piping and stone. The piping burst and sprayed their contents into the tunnel. Some of the liquids were inert such as water, but one pipe held an alcohol based fuel used for the gnomish striders. As the alcohol mixed with the air of the tunnel, it reached just the right ratio of air to fuel and detonated. The brute power of the blast buckled the tunnel walls, destroying everything in its path. As the blast wave advanced, the wreckage piled up before it and rode the shock wave like a cannon ball. When this mass of pipe and stone exited the tunnel, it shot across the station entrance and into the wall on the other side, embed itself into the rock. The force of this much debris hitting solid rock was only a tenth of the power of the explosion that caused it, but it shook the very foundation of the station entrance and the elevator sitting just a dozen yards away.

Cologne and Cartier were thrown to the floor of the elevator when the shockwave hit. B'jack grabbed a hold of the railing and yelled through the roar, "Cologne! Cartier! Hang on to something!"

The platform shook violently and dust flew upward through the elevator shaft, filling their vision with a dark brown haze. Cologne yelled back, "I'm okay! I just banged my knee on the floor when I was knocked down."

Moments later, "I see Cartier! She's down!"

As the elevator platform slowed its shaking, Cologne and B'jack ran over to their friend. Cologne knelt beside her and noted with a sigh of relief that she was alive and awake, "Cartier. Are you okay?"

Cartier blinked a few times before looking at her friend, "Yes…I believe I am, Col. That blast or whatever it was knocked me down pretty hard."

As Cartier attempted to sit up, B'jack placed his arm behind her for support, "Here, let me give ya a hand."

Cartier looked around and coughed, "I can barely see through all this dust. What could have caused it?"

B'jack held his friend steady as the elevator platform continued to shake, "Cologne, you don't suppose the smaller power plant blew, do you?"

Cologne carefully walked over to the control panel. Through the fading dust, she could see that although the elevator had stopped, the controls were still lit up. "The Elevator still has power, so I don't think it was the emergency power plant. It has to be something else, most likely an explosion somewhere in the city below."

When the shaking had almost stopped and Cologne turned to her companions, "Looks like we have two choices. One, I can open up a portal to Ironforge, or we can see if this thing will restart when I hit the button. I don't know what happened down there, and there is no telling how much damage the elevator took. Once this thing starts moving again, if it does, I won't be able to stop it until it reaches the bottom of the shaft."

Cartier brushed the dust off of her robes, "We've come this far and it would be a shame to head back. Besides, B'jack hasn't had a chance to tarnish any of his armor."

B'jack smirked, "I've been itchin ta cross some steel with someone, but all we've come across were the dead ones on the way in. I say ya hit the button and we go on down."

Cologne smiled as she slammed her hand down on the control, "I knew I could count on you two."

A screech echoed from down below and the floor jerked downwards for several feet. After shaking up and down for several seconds, it began to smooth out and move downwards at a more or less steady pace. As the elevator moved down the shaft, smoke and dust drifted up around the edge of the platform.

Cologne pointed at the rising dust as it rose up the shaft, "The main air vents for the city must be closed. The air isn't supposed to rise up around the platform like that."

Cartier watched the smoke rise around them, "If the main air vents are closed, that would prevent the air in the city, especially the lower parts from being ventilated."

Cologne nodded, "We have always wondered why the sickness has continued to spread though the city. If those vents are indeed closed, the Gnomeregan officials in Ironforge will be very interested to know about it."

The elevator groaned and began to slow. Cologne covered her mouth and nose with the collar of her robe, "We're nearing the bottom, cover your face!"

No sooner had she warned them than the elevator entered the station entrance. Smoke and dust billowed into the platform as it settled onto the floor. The three travelers covered their mouths with robes and rags in an effort to breath through the polluted air. Cologne coughed and pointed towards a dull glow, "Something must have blown here. Perhaps a panel or a fuse box."

As they moved away from the elevator, the air seemed to clear a bit. B'jack pointed to the wall ahead where the glow originated, "I think it's a lot worse than a panel, Col."

As Cologne looked at what B'jack was pointing towards, she began to make out the details of what had happened earlier and gasped, "By the gods. What could have happened here to cause this?"

Cologne stared in amazement at the huge hole where once stood the doorway for a maintenance tunnel. The blast had increased the size of the opening enough that it now was more of large oval shape. Large blackened cracks arced away from the opening and smoke could still be seen drifting from within. Pieces of pipe and wiring hung out of the opening as if they were made of paper. Across the large entrance room a huge blackened mass of rubble was embedded deep into the wall. She pointed at the wreckage, "I've never seen anything like this."

Cartier shook her head for a moment, "I can't imagine."

B'jack smirked, "I can…. Take a look at that opening. The walls and ceiling have been pushed out by a great force. Look at all those pipes, the way they're pulled out and hanging there. What yer looking at is the barrel of a really big gun."

He pointed across the room, "That pile of junk over there was shot out of this hole just like a cannon ball."

Cologne eyed the damaged hole for a short while, "Yes, I can see what you mean there, B'jack. But it would take an extremely large blast to do this much damage. I know of no gnomish explosives with that kind of power."

B'jack shrugged, "I can't tell ya that, Col. It might have been a fuel leak from a storage tank, or something else further up in the tunnel blew up. We may never know."

Cartier looked at Cologne, "As much as I'd like to investigate this further, we're not getting any closer to finding your mom by just standing here."

Cologne lowered her eyes for a moment, "You're right, of course. I'm curious about what happened here, but we need to continue our search."

Looking at Cartier, she smiled, "Since we have B'jack to keep them away from us, you don't need to have your voidwalker or the felhunter out, do you?"

Cartier looked at the gnome for a moment. She then grinned evilly as she glanced over at B'jack, "Yes, I'll need to summon something that will aid our fearless paladin."

Cartier chuckled and spread her hands out as she summoned a new pet. Moments later it stood before Cartier. Turning around, its eyes brightened as something caught its eye. In a low, sultry voice, it called out, "Beejack!"

The paladin knew exactly who had called his name. Owning a trim and shapely body, along with a hypnotic, glowing pair of eyes, the demoness also possessed leather wings and hooved feet. A demonic tail stuck out of the back of her skimpy bottom and her black nails were as sharp as knives. Her obvious weapon was the coiled whip she wore at her side, but it was her seductive allure that gave her the name of succubus. Her enchanted kiss could turn the hardest man, or woman into her willing slave.

B'jack took several quick steps back, "N-now Cartier. There's no need to bring her out now, is there?"

As the demoness took a slow step towards B'jack, Cartier called out sternly, "That's enough! You'll have time for that on our enemies. B'jack is off limits."

The succubus pouted for a moment and then moved to Cartier's side.

Cologne nodded towards the trio, "Alright. Let's get going."

The group made their way around the wreckage and through the great hall that was the entrance to the tram station. The dust was still thick here but as they made their way along towards the end, the floating dust began to thin out. The adventurers continued until three large arched doorways became visible in the dust.

B'jack pointed towards the far arch, "Look, there's a few troggs over there. It looks like the blast got em."

Cartier nodded, "We won't be worrying about those. The force of the blast hit them pretty hard."

Cologne turned towards Cartier, "Had we gotten here a bit earlier, that might very well be us piled up with those troggs. We were very lucky."

They entered the center arch and continued through the short corridor that led to the tram station itself. The inside walls and flooring of the corridor were covered with a fine dust from effects of the blast. Being careful not to stir any up within the narrow corridor they walked a short distance until they entered the great hall that was the main tram station.

B'jack pointed across the hall, "Would ya look at that?"

The station itself was a large circular structure about two hundred yards in diameter and three hundred yards tall. They stood on top of a wide platform that completely ringed the station. To the right was a very large portal that went back into the city itself. At the top of that opening could be seen a pair of twisted metal beams that used to support the trams that came out of the opening. Across the structure, several other portals could be seen, the tram rails, twisted and torn, hung from the openings and draped down to the floor below. Across the station to the far side, was a grayish area that resembled the dust from the corridor.

Cartier looked at the far side for a moment, "It looks like the dust was blasted out of these openings and sprayed across to the other side. Other than that, it's pretty clear in here.

Cologne gazed at the damage and her eyes began to shimmer, "When I was younger, this was a wondrous place. The trams would come and go through here night and day. From here you could take a tram anywhere in the city. They were in the process of building a connection to Ironforge when disaster stuck. As the tunnel was being dug, a cavern was exposed deep in the rock. The engineers didn't think the cavern was worth investigating, and covered the entrance with stone while they continued to dig. A few days later, troggs began pouring out of the tunnels and attacking anything they came across. When they found their way to the main power plant, they began to tear it apart. The power plant used a dangerous fuel recently discovered by dwarven miners. It produced a great amount of power for the city, but in return for that power, we had to keep the inner workings of the plant very cool. We did this by drawing in ice cold water from the snow pack in the hills around the city. The heated water was then used to warm the city and even supply the baths in the apartment sectors. The troggs broke the supply pipes that fed cold water to the power plant. Without water to keep it cool, it heated up rapidly. Within minutes it reached its critical temperature and exploded. The power plant was located in the center of the city and several hundred feet below in a room with thick stone walls. Directly above were the main laboratories and shops that depended on the plant to supply the power they needed. Thousands of gnomes worked there designing and building new gadgets for our people. When the plant exploded, it completely destroyed those shops and killed everyone in them. The blast shook the city to its core. When the shock wave hit here, it ripped all of the tram rails from their mounts, throwing the wreckage down to the floor far below. Several trams also fell into that wreckage, killing all those aboard. On that day alone, over fifteen thousand of my people lost their lives."

As the memories washed over her, Cologne's eyes brimmed with tears and her voice failed her. Moments later, she felt a large gloved hand gently rest on her shoulder as B'jack reassured her, "Hey Col. I can't say I know how ya feel, but I can tell ya that me an Cartier are always here for ya. I know ya feel a lotta hurt about all this, but let's keep moving and see if we can get to your mom before anyone else gets hurt."

Cologne quickly wiped her eyes and reached around to firmly grasp the hand on her shoulder. Turning, she looked up at the Paladin, "Thanks, B'jack. This place always gets to me. Knowing my mom is somewhere in these ruins overwhelmed me for a bit."

She turned around and made a sweeping motion with her arms, "Mom always loved this city. She was a big part in all of the major projects during her time. If she is seeing this for the first time, it's going to be very hard on her. Anything that delays her progress will give us a chance to catch up. We must be off!"

They turned and began to walk along the walkway that ringed the station. Cologne pointed towards a stair case that descended towards the bottom level. As they approached they heard a whining sound and moments later, two large troggs leaped up from the stairs. Without thinking, B'jack positioned himself in front of the two casters and for the first time, unsheathed his sword. Discovered in the catacombs of the Scarlet Monastery, its normal metallic sheen of steel now glowed red in the presence of danger. Cartier pointed towards one of the troggs and the succubus giggled as it cast its spell. Moments later, the trogg dropped its dagger as it stared at the succubus in total adoration. While the second trogg screamed at its companion, B'jack ended its life with a quick slash to the trogg's side. Turning towards the paralyzed one, he buried the sword deeply into its chest. As he withdrew it, the troggs blood that remained on the edge was drawn into the core of the sword. With no enemies remaining, the sword returned to its normal metallic appearance.

Cartier commented as the red glow faded, "I'll never understand what those fanatics in the Monastery were doing with a vampiric blade like that."

Before anyone could comment further, a high pitched scream was heard coming from the bottom of the stairs. Cartier took off down the stairs yelling, "That sounded like a girl's scream!"

Cologne was surprised as well by the sound, but called out as she ran to catch up, "Cartier! Wait up! It might be a trap!"

Cartier had already stopped at the bottom and immediately sent her succubus out towards a group of six troggs. They were leaping up and trying to reach for a piece of tram rail that was hanging just above them. Clinging to the end of the rail with her arms and legs wrapped around it tightly was a little gnomish girl. B'jack had his sword out and was running towards the mob. Cartier was already beginning to cast her Searing Pain spell as Cologne prepared to cast Blizzard.

As B'jack charged the troggs, he yelled out. The frightened little gnome turned her head around and saw two casters and a warrior preparing to save her. Her eyes widened impossibly large as she screamed, "Help! I can't hold on much longer!"

B'jack heard the heard the girl call out and moving quickly, struck each of the troggs with his sword. While not doing much damage, it angered them all immensely and he smiled evilly as they leaped towards him.

Cologne saw the troggs turn their attention to B'jack and called to Cartier, "Now! Hit them hard!"

Cartier had already built up her spell moments before. Raising her hands above her head, she mouthed a trio of words to herself and completed the spell known as Searing Pain. Moments later the troggs screamed in agony as it began to take effect.

Cologne raised her hands above her head while looking directly at the troggs. Small blue globes of light began to form at her fingertips and as they did, flew up and gathered directly above the troggs. The air began to chill as a swirling grey cloud started to form and envelope the blue globes. Moments later, pointed shards of ice began to rain down upon the doomed troggs. As the spells decimated the troggs, B'jack quickly moved and ended their pain as his sword glowed a bright red.

As the last trogg died, B'jack ran under the little gnome and called out, "I'm right below you, little girl! Let go, and I'll catch you."

The young gnome stared down at her rescuers. Thankful for being saved, she was still afraid of letting go of the piece of metal that had, up to now, kept her safe from the troggs. While she thought about it, she relaxed a bit and her tired arms and legs let go of the rail. Thinking she was about to die, she screamed again, only to be suddenly stopped in her downward fall by the arms of B'jack as he caught her. "Gotcha! I told ya I'd catch ya!"

The young gnome looked up at the human that had saved her, reached up and threw her arms around his neck, hugged him tightly, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Cartier smirked, "How do you like that? We do all the hard work, and lover boy gets all the hugs."

Cologne chuckled as B'jack walked over to where they were standing, "Lets see if we can pry her off of him for a minute."

"Hello there, little one. Are you alright?"

The little gnome released her grip on B'jack and looked down at Cologne. Grinning from ear to ear, she hopped down and stood before her, "Thank you so much for saving me! I thought for sure I was done for until you came along!"

Shorter than Cologne, her hair, face and clothing were covered with dust. Never the less, her large eyes and single puffy ponytail made her look very cute.

Cologne smiled warmly, "We were glad to help. The paladin there is called B'jack. The young woman by my side is Cartier and my name is Cologne."

The little gnome bowed then looked at her new friends with warm eyes, "I'm very pleased to meet you. My name is Amicute, but my friends just call me Ami."


	20. Questions

Chapter 20 – Questions

Cartier studied Ami as she talked with Cologne. She took note of the neatness of her hair under all the dust and her dwarven clothing and made a mental note to discuss it with Cologne.

B'jack walked over to the little gnome and dropped to one knee, "Well, Ami…it looks like we came along just in time."

Ami turned and gave B'jack a huge smile, "Oh yes! Those troggs were after me the moment I fell onto that piece of metal. I'm so lucky you came along!"

B'jack smiled and nodded, "I'm glad we could help."

He glanced over at Cologne and Cartier for a moment before continuing, "But tell me, Ami. How did you manage to end up hanging onto that piece of rail?"

Ami rocked back and forth on her heals a bit before answering, "I-I was walking on that ledge up there when the whole place suddenly shook like there was an earthquake. I was tossed to the floor of the ledge by the rocking. While I was laying there, a sudden blast of dust came pouring out over there."

B'jack glanced up at the station portals and nodded as she continued, "It was so strong, it pushed me off the edge. I caught a pipe on the way down, but it was too slippery and I couldn't hold on. From there, I landed on that piece of metal. While I was looking for a way down, the troggs found me."

He smiled warmly as he gently patted the little gnome on her shoulder, "Well, it's a good thing we came along when we did."

B'jack stood up and looked over at Cologne, "I'll leave the decision up to you, Col. Either way, I'll back ya up."

Cartier added, "That goes for me as well."

Ami turned and looked at Cologne, "What do they mean?"

Cologne looked over at her companions for a second, "Excuse me, guys. Ami and I need to have a little talk."

She then reached over and gently clasped Ami's hand, "Come with me for a bit, Ami. I want to talk to you about a few things."

As they walked up the staircase a short way and sat down on the steps, Cartier turned to B'jack and whispered softly, "She's a nice enough kid, but she's hiding something."

"Yeah, I thought as much. Those clothes aren't the kind of thing the gnomes around here normally wear. It felt dwarven."

"I saw that as well. I can't put my finger on it, but she doesn't act quite like someone that just had her life saved"

Cartier smirked, "More like someone who just got caught with her little hands in the cookie jar."

"Uh huh."

Cologne walked up a few of the steps before sitting down. She patted a spot next to her and motioned the young gnome to have a seat next to her. After Ami had sat down, Cologne smiled, "What do you think of our paladin, B'jack?"

The little gnome was feeling a bit nervous at being pulled aside by the mage she now sat with, "H-he seems like a really nice person."

Cologne nodded, "Indeed he is. Though he sometimes shows a rough exterior, you will have to look very hard to find a braver paladin in this realm. His loyalty to Cartier and me is unconditional."

Ami wasn't sure what cologne was trying to say and looked puzzled.

Cologne continued, "He will agree to my decision, no matter what. Which brings me to you. Tell me truthfully now Ami…I can see by the cut of your hair and the clothing you're wearing that you're not from Gnomeregan. I want to know where you are from, and why are you here?"

Ami saw the serious look in Cologne's eyes and swallowed hard. She began to fumble with her top as she answered, "I-I'm from Brewnall Village. It's a bit to the east of here near the lake."

Cologne nodded, "I know of it. The Barleybrew family started the settlement a few years ago. It's not far from here, but that doesn't explain why you're here in the first place. This is a very dangerous place, young lady, and I'll bet that your parents would be worried sick if they found out you were here."

Ami looked at Cologne as her eyes began to moisten, "I don't know where my parents are…. When I was very little and the city was attacked, some people brought me out and dropped me off at the village."

She continued as tears began to flow down her cheeks, "They told the people in the village that my parents would be along shortly, but they never came. I thought if I came here, I might be able to find them…or at least learn what happened to them."

Cologne reached into her robe and pulled out a hanky. She gently wiped the tears off the little girl's cheeks and commented, "This city was reduced to ruin quite a few years ago, Ami. The only sane people remaining are a small band of exiles tucked away in a small safe house. The rest of the gnomes here have been infected by the sickness that still plagues the city."

"Ami's eyes widened, "S-sickness?"

Cologne continued, "Yes. From what we know, it affects the mind first, causing them to think everyone not affected by the sickness to be their enemy. Later the sickness begins to rot the person from the inside out, eventually killing them. There are several people working on this plague, but for now, there is no cure. You put yourself in great danger coming here."

The young gnome's eyes began to well, up once again, "I'm sorry. I-I didn't know. I only wanted to find my parents and friends."

The old mage raised her eyebrow a bit, "Listen to me careful, Ami. Under any other circumstances, I would have opened up a portal and we would have taken you straight to Ironforge. But right now, we have a bit of an emergency on our hands. In addition to having to deal with all of the troggs and crazed gnomes here, there is another person we have to find before we can leave. Our time to do this has become very short and if we leave now, she may be gone by the time we get back. Because of that, I have no choice but to keep you with us."

Hearing that she was not going to be send back, Ami smiled. But before she could say anything, Cologne interrupted, "But understand this, Ami. If you stay with us, you will do exactly what I say and nothing else. I want you right next to me at all times. No running off to look at this or that. If you see something of interest, quietly let me or my companions know. If you disobey me once or jeopardize the lives of my companions, I will open a portal and take you back to Ironforge. After we arrive there I will make you regret the day you met me. Do I make myself clear?"

Ami swallowed hard. The old mage seemed like such a nice lady, but she now realized in great clarity that she will have to be very careful around her. She slowly nodded, "Yes, maam. I'll be very careful not to do anything wrong."

Cologne took a deep breath then turned to Ami, "That's all I ask. If you can do that, you and I will get along just fine."

The old gnome then stood up and facing the younger one, held out her hand, "Come along then. We need to get going quickly."

As the two came back down the stairs Cartier turned to her companion, "Look at that, B'jack. They're both smiling. It looks like she's staying with us."

B'jack grumbled, "Yeah, it looks like it."

Cartier grinned evilly as she stuck out her hand, "Pay up!"

He grumbled a bit and pulled out his purse and handed her the 5 gold pieces, "How did you know Col was going to let her stay?"

Cartier chuckled, "I didn't…I guessed, just like you."

"Rats…"

Cologne walked up to the two and smiled, "Alright, she's coming along. Let's get our stuff together and get going."

Moments later, everyone had all their things ready. Cologne noticed that Cartier had summoned up a voidwalker and raised an eyebrow. Before she could ask, Cartier answered, "I figured we needed the protection of the voidwalker now that Ami is here. Its going to be hard enough for B'jack to keep them off of us while we cast our spells, without having to protect her as well."

Cologne nodded in agreement, "Good idea."

B'jack pointed to the open area across the station, "This way."

Ami was now frighteningly aware of the large demon close by her side, "A voidwalker…."

Suddenly Cartier was at her side and quickly dropped to her knees, "Ami? Don't be frightened of old big blue there. He may look fearsome, but he won't harm any of us here. Okay?"

Ami looked up at the voidwalker for a moment then back to Cartier, "O-okay."

Cartier reached over and tussled the little gnome's hair a bit, "Good, girl."

As the group moved on, Cartier stood up and took her place behind Ami and the voidwalker. Cologne was in position directly in front of Ami, with B'jack taking up the lead.

Carefully making their way across the floor, they slowly walked around the twisted wreckage of the tram rails. Here and there could be seen the crushed remains of the tram cars that fallen in from above.

B'jack pointed across to the nearing wall and called out over his shoulder, "The stairway is up here a bit. We're getting close."

Cartier raised an eyebrow, "Stairway?"

Cologne slowed so that she was at Ami's side, "Yes, it's more of a series of ramps that will take us down to our destination."

"Where does it lead to?"

Cologne smiled before answering as she moved back into position, "The Hall of Gears, of course."

Cartier thought to herself, "_Hall of Gears? What the heck can that be_?"

They continued for a few minutes more. The debris made the going slow but eventually they were standing in front of a large arched doorway. Cologne turned to Ami and Cartier, "There are a large number of blind corners. The ramps use switchbacks to take us down to the next level."

Cologne nodded, "Be on your guard. This is a very good place for us to be ambushed. Ami? Stay close to Cartier and her voidwalker. Be small and be safe."

The little gnome smiled back, "Okay."

Cologne motioned for B'jack to continue and the adventurers began to descend the stairway that was actually a series of ramps that had steps placed here and there to make it easier to travel down. After the fourth turn, Cartier called out, "How many of these are there?"

B'jack answered, "I don't remember, really. The last time Col and I were here, we were moving pretty fast."

Cartier was about to kid her friend about running away from a fight when a loud whining sound was heard up ahead. Moments later several large troggs appeared ahead of them. The troggs immediately spread out and began their advance. B'jack already had his sword out while Cologne began preparations to cast fireballs.

Cartier glanced down at the little gnome in front of her as she began to power up her pain spells, "Stay close, Ami!"

B'jack wasted no time. Running towards the troggs, he yelled at the top of his lungs. These troggs were not afraid of the paladin and moved to intercept. But as they got close and prepared to fight, B'jack used the blade to once again quickly strike each of them. The blade glowed red with fire and each of the troggs screamed in agony from the pain. But the largest of the group quickly overcame the pain and hissed at B'jack, "You nooo hurt ussss. Weee kiiil youuu. Weee kiiiil all."

Just as B'jack turned towards the large trogg, Cartier fired off her spell of searing pain. Thinking B'jack had caused it, the trogg charged the paladin with its axe overhead in an attempt to strike its foe down quickly. B'jack brought his sword up and blocked the swing as sparks flew from the sudden impact of metal against metal. As the trogg pulled the axe back and prepared to strike again, B'jack brought the blade away and spun around. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the trogg was almost ready to strike again with the axe. B'jack made a slight twist to the sword as he swung it around. The trogg had its arms high overhead and when the blade made contact, it struck the trogg along the arm near the armpit, nearly severing it at the shoulder. The trogg howled in pain while it switched the axe to the other hand. As it staggered back, B'jack glanced at the casters and nodded.

While Cartier was casting her searing pain on each of the troggs, Cologne was concentrating on the one attacking B'jack. The tips of her fingers began to glow as streaming tendrils of fire formed between her hands. Glowing brighter by the second, the fire rolled upon itself and formed a small ball. When she saw B'jack nod, Cologne pulled her hands apart and the ball shot away towards its target leaving a trail of fading fire in its wake. The fireball hit the trogg directly in the midsection and exploded. With its entire body now in flames, the trogg arched its back and howled like a wounded animal. B'jack ended its agony with a deep thrust to its chest.

He was moving to the next trogg when carter glanced down, "_Where did Ami go? She was supposed to stick next to me and the voidwalker."_

Cartier had no time to look for the little gnome as she prepared to cast her curse. Unlike Searing Pain, Curse of Agony caused real damage over a period of time to its targets. A quickly cast spell, the remaining troggs were soon screaming from the waves of pain that now enveloped them. Using his glowing sword, B'jack quickly finished the remaining troggs off.

B'jack sheathed the sword and jogged over to his companions, "Good work you two."

Cologne smiled at B'jack before turning around to Ami, "Thanks for staying out of trouble. I'm depending on you to keep it up."

Seeing that Ami was back again, Cartier noted to herself, "_Well, well. I didn't see her go or come back. There's more to this one than meets the eye._"

The group made its way further down the ramps and as they did, Cartier paid closer attention to Ami up in front of her. Near their destination, a pair of scouting troggs attacked again. While B'jack made quick work of them, Cartier was watching the little gnome in front of her. Cartier was about turn her attention towards the battle when Ami faded from view.

Cartier smirked to herself, "_Ah ha... Gotcha, you little sneak_!"

She quickly cast her Searing Pain spells onto the troggs then moved to where she was sure Ami's back would be. Sure enough, as soon as B'jack had taken care of the troggs, the air began to shimmer a bit as Ami faded back into view. Cartier silently brought her lips close to Ami's ear and whispered, "Boo!"

Ami yelped and jumped about as high as B'jack's shoulders. Cologne turned around in time to see Cartier reach out and grab the little gnome by the wrists just as she landed. As Ami squirmed, Cologne raised an eyebrow, "What's going on here?"

Cartier smirked, "I was wondering how she was able to get into the city without getting caught by all of the troggs we saw back there. In that first fight I wasn't able to see her even though the voidwalker was still acting if he was standing guard. When the fight was over, I looked down and she was there again just as if nothing had happened. Just now, when B'jack was attacking those scouts, I saw her cloak out. So when the fight was over, I had a little surprise for her when she faded back and grabbed her."

B'jack stood behind Cologne, "She's a rogue?"

Cologne eyed the little gnome closely as her green eyes narrowed, "Ami, is this true? Are you a rogue?"

Ami gulped. She hadn't expected to have been caught by Cartier at all. Feeling very afraid, she nodded her head and looked down at a pair of dirty bluish bottles laying by her feet.

Cologne reached out and tilted her head up by her chin, "Ami, please look at me when I'm talking to you. Don't worry, we are not going to harm you, but this very is important."

Ami looked at cologne and noted that although the mage wasn't hostile, she was very serious. With her eyes now beginning to shimmer, she nodded again.

"Alright then. Let's start from the beginning. I assume you used your cloaking ability to get in here without the troggs seeing you, right?"

Again she nodded

Cologne continued, "Good, that makes sense now with you being a rogue, but it still leaves a very important question unanswered. Before you answer the question, you need to understand that I'm pretty certain I already know the answer. "

Cologne studied the girl's eyes, "Exactly why are you here, Ami?"

Ami stuttered, "I-I'm trying to find about my parents."

Cologne waved her off, "Yes, we talked about that earlier. What I want to know is the other reason."

Ami's became quite large as she stared at Cologne, "I don't…."

Cologne took a deep breath, "You let it slip earlier that you were looking for friends of yours in here. I want to know who they are, Ami. What are their names?"

Ami sighed as tears began to run down her cheeks, "Th-their names are Jonathan and Perfyume."

Cologne sighed, "I thought as much."

B'jack swore as he placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, "Damn, Col! Not only is she looking for your mom, but she's a rogue as well!"

Ami's eyes widened in fear while staring at B'jack, "P-please don't hurt me!"

Ami turned and much to Cologne's surprise, wrapped her arms around the mage and began to sob. Cartier knelt down next to the little gnome and comforted her, "No one is going to hurt you, Ami. All of us are just a bit upset that you weren't completely honest with us earlier. There aren't many rogues around these days that we can really trust."

Ami looked up with tears in her eyes, "I'm not a real rogue. No one has ever trained me. I-I can just do these things, like fading and stuff. The dwarves at the village always kid me and say I'm just like a little rogue."

Cartier nodded, "Your skills are beginning to awakening within you, Ami. In time, you may become a powerful fighter."

Ami dried her eyes with the back of her hand and looked up at Cologne, "Perfyume is your mom?"

The old mage sighed, "I hoped you had missed little slip-up."

Cologne glared up at B'jack for a second before continuing, "Yes, Ami. She's my mom."

Ami stared with wide eyes at the mage, "But she's so young and pretty. And you're so…old…."

Ami suddenly realized that she had insulted the old mage and blushed darkly. Cologne smirked for a moment before commented, "That may well be true, and I don't have time to go into it. I will say that although she looks far younger, my mother is quite a bit older than I."

Cologne eyed the little rogue closely, "I'm letting you off the hook this time, little one. Keeping your little secret from us didn't cause us any danger…this time. I trust that if you remember anything important about mom, or your abilities, you will tell me right away."

Before Ami could comment again, cologne turned to B'jack and Cartier. "Alright, we've spent enough time here as it is. Let's go."

With B'jack once again in the lead, they walked out of the corridor, and into the Hall of Gears.


	21. City's End

Chapter 21 – City's End

Perfyume glared at the dead trogg at her feet. Once they entered the tramway, their progress had been hampered by what seemed like an endless stream of insane troggs. No sooner had they killed one, than another quickly replaced it.

"John, these things seem to be coming out of the woodwork. I'm starting to get worried that if we remain in this open area, we may soon get ambushed."

The dwarf grinned as he kept his eyes alert, "Aye, tha foul beasties seem ta be everywhere. We need ta find a more defensible path ta travel."

As they made their way along the abandoned tramway, they came across a walkway leading away from their path, "Well, lass. It's not as narrow as Ah'd like, but it's certainly better an gettin ambushed out here."

Perfyume nodded as they entered the walkway, "It can't be any worse than this place."

The walkway traveled around a very large room. Once filled with machinery, the massive shafts, gears and girders now lay in ruin filling the room nearly to the level of the walkway that ringed its entire mid-section. At the very bottom a sickly greenish glow could be seen giving it a molted look. Before John could comment on the strange glow down below, a large trogg appeared and began staggering towards them. Obviously in pain and covered with a greenish tint, the trogg was never the less, bent on attacking them.

Smokey was closest and rushed forward, immediately swiping the trogg across the ribs with its massive paw. The trogg screamed and turned towards the bear to retaliate, but was stopped as Perfyume shot off a shadow bolt and John used the rifle. The trogg screamed again as it fell to the ground and died. A greenish mist began to rise off the trogg's body and John pointed, "Ah don't like the looks of that, lass. We better not get too close."

Perfyume studied the mist as it began to fade, "It must have become infected like those gnomes we saw earlier. This one is like some kind of carrier. If it's killed, it probably can still spread the sickness by those fumes. We'll have to be real careful around these things."

John eyed the trogg cautiously, "Aye, ya got that right, lass."

They continued to work their way along the walkway. An occasional trogg would show itself only to be put down fairly easy. They soon came across a large archway going away from the catwalk and into the stone wall. Perfyume glanced at it for a moment, "I'm not sure what it is exactly, but it reminds me of something…."

John bent over and picked up a piece of wood. Shaped like a mug used to drink ale, it was badly damaged. John pointed to the writing, "Lass, kin ya read any o this. Ah think it's written in yer kinfolk's language."

Her eyes brightened a bit, "Sure, John. That shape means there is an inn nearby, and this writing means it was called "The Clean Zone."

John nodded his head towards the doorway, "Strange name fer an inn, lass. Still, ya think there might be any provisions down there? We could use a wee bit more water"

"It wouldn't hurt to take a look, John. But we should be on our toes. So far this has been nothing but one bad surprise after another."

"Aye, we'll take it nice an easy."

John then walked slowly inside the arch. Immediately to his right he could see a wide staircase and he quietly pointed it out to Perfyume. She nodded for him to continue and they carefully descended the steps. As they did, they began to notice the sound of soft whispers. John ordered Smokey to scout up ahead and the bruin took off down the stairs. They waited a couple of minutes and after hearing nothing of the bear's battle cry, continued to carefully make their way down the steps. A final turn and they were at the base of the stairs. Perfyume's eyes widened as they found themselves in a large, somewhat darkened chamber. Here and there were scattered a few gnomes, some going about doing their business and some standing around in small groups talking.

Perfyume grabbed her friend's arm, "John! This must be the safe house."

John nodded as he scanned the room, "Aye lass, but ah'd have thought there would have been a bit more o yer wee kin than this."

"I hope so as well, John. This can't be all that remains of them."

Before John could respond, a middle aged looking gnome appeared in front of them, "Greetings travelers, and welcome to the Clean Zone. My name is Tink Sprocketwhistle, but you can call me Tink."

Perfyume giggled slightly and smiled at the gnome, "Pleased to meet you. My name is Perfyume, and this is my good friend, John."

Tink smiled, "Pleased to meet you as well. Tell me, my friends, what could possibly bring you to visit such a place as this. We don't usually get many visitors and the only ones that we do get are the ones trying to escape this foul place."

"I was hoping to find some of our kin here."

Tink sighed, "Well Perfyume, look about you here. This is pretty much all that remains of the once great city of Gnomeregan."

Perfyume's eyes widened, "Th-this is it?"

"Yes, Perfyume. I'm sorry, we're pretty much all that's left."

Perfyume looked down for a second before looking back at Tink, "I-I'd like to ask something of you, Tink."

Tink smiled warmly, as he motioned for a few others in the room to come closer, "Well now, I'll do what I can for you, Perfyume. I'm always happy to help a fellow gnome."

Perfyume blushed slightly, "I was not here when the city fell, Tink. Please, I need to know….What happened here?"

Tink's eyes widened as the gnomes that had gathered around the travelers whispered among themselves, "You don't know?"

Perfyume's eyes began to fill with tears, "Please Tink, tell me what happened…."

Tink took a hold of Perfyume's elbow and lead her and John to a near by table. He motioned to them to sit down and then sat down himself. "I'm sorry, Perfyume, I didn't mean to upset you. It's just I've never before met a gnome that didn't know how Gnomeregan fell."

As Perfyume wiped the tears from her eyes, Tink paused and thought for a moment before beginning his story. "Several years ago and without warning, we were attacked from below by a huge army of troggs. They poured into the city from the lower levels and began to attack everyone and everything around them. Our local militia fought bravely to defend the city, but we were hopelessly outnumbered. The troggs eventually found the main power generator for the city. It operated on a completely new principal and produced a tremendous amount of power. It was also very dangerous if not handled with great care. The troggs attacked and killed the technicians there and then began to attack the power generator itself. With no technicians, the generator quickly began to overheat. It soon reached critical temperatures and exploded. While the explosion did kill off hundreds of troggs, the power plant was positioned directly below our manufacturing and engineering shops. People working there lost their lives as the blast ripped up though the lower floors and destroyed everything in its path. A great loss to us all, most of our great engineers and scientist also worked there and perished in that blast."

"We continued to fight against the troggs for weeks, but it was becoming obvious that our militia and police units were losing ground to the invaders. Just when all seemed lost, Master Engineer Thermaplug approached the president with a plan. He wanted to flood the city's ventilation ducts with the radiated gasses from the destroyed power plant and kill the troggs with the poison. As the situation became more urgent, he convinced the president the plan was sound and was given the go ahead to proceed."

Tink shook his head sadly, "It was a total disaster for our race, Perfyume."

"Instead of waiting for our people to escape to safe areas, the gas was released without warning. Thousands perished in the first few hours as the gas quickly overcame them. Most of those that didn't die right away became infected by the radiation sickness and turned into the nearly mindless gnomes you have no doubt seen roaming about the city. The radiation sickness poisons their minds as it eats the flesh from their bodies. They attack anything they see, including friends and family. The damage is permanent and death for them is the only release."

"What you see here, Perfyume, is all that remains of the once great city of Gnomeregan."

Tink walked over and stood next to John as he continued, "Our population was reduced to a tenth of what it once was and our people are now scattered across the lands."

Tink bowed respectfully towards John, "If it were not for the dwarves, we might have perished as a race."

Perfyume looked puzzled, "Why's that?"

Tink smiled, "You see, as the people fled the city, they found themselves out in the wilderness with barely the clothes on their backs. The dwarves took us in and gave any of us that wanted it, a home in the great city of Ironforge. The little gnomish community there eventually became known as Tinkertown and although it wasn't much, it served as a destination for the few remaining gnomes as a place to rest, recoup and plan for the future."

He gave John a smile before turning once again to Perfyume, "We owe much to the dwarves, young warlock."

Perfyume thought for a moment before looking at Tink, "With so few of us left, it's no wonder the city is still under siege. What we need is a large force of troops to eradicate the troggs from here once and for all. Once that is done we can re-…."

Perfyume was interrupted by Tink, "No Perfyume. This city is lost forever. Even if we were to completely kill off all of the troggs in the city, they are still swarming in the ground below us. They will eventually break though and return. Also, the radiation sickness is very dangerous. If any troops were to come here to fight, there is a good chance they too will become infected."

"Then…what are we to do?"

"There is only one thing we can do, Perfyume. Gnomeregan must be sealed from the outside world forever. The vents, doors and windows must all be closed and sealed shut so that nothing can get in…or out. Once that is done, we can concentrate on building a new city, free of the troggs and as great as Gnomeregan ever was."

Perfyume nodded. As painful as it was to hear, the other gnome was right. Her beloved city had become a crypt that needed to be sealed shut. "Alright, what needs to be done?"

Tink smiled, "All of us here will be leaving soon after we gather up all of our books and records. However, I need to have this delivered as soon as possible to our president in Tinkertown.

He handed Perfyume an envelope and continued, "This details our plans to seal the city and tells him to expect our arrival in Ironforge very soon. I need it to get to him so that word can be sent to the rest of our kind."

Perfyume took the envelope and after placing it in her backpack turned to him and said, "I'll make sure he gets this as soon as we get to Ironforge."

Tink smiled, "Thank you Perfyume. With any luck, we will once again have a home to call our own."

John smiled at the gnome, "Laddie, are ya by chance goin ta use explosives ta seal tha entrances an vents?"

Tink nodded, "Yes, we have been acquiring some explosives a little at a time, but we are going to need quite a bit to do the job."

John reached into his pack and pulled out the carefully wrapped sticks of explosives he gotten from Perfyume. He handed the explosives to Tink, "We used one stick earlier ta take care of a trogg tunnel entrance inta the city. Ya might have felt it a few hours ago."

Tink stared at the dwarf in disbelief, "That was you?"

As John and Perfyume nodded, the gnome called one of the other gnomes over. "Meecha, take this over to the lab and check it out. Be careful. If what they say is true, we may have our answer."

As the gnome took the bundle and left, Tink smiled at his friends, "Thank you. With some good explosives ,we may soon get out of here."

"We're happy to help. But before we go, can you tell us the best and quickest way out of here? The way we came in is infested with troggs."

John nodded, "Aye, tha foul beasties are swarmin all over up there."

The gnome thought for a minute, "The only other way I know of is across the Hall of Gears and up the ramps and into the tram station. From there, you just need to take the elevator up and you're outside."

John smiled, "Sounds good, lad. Just show us where this Hall of Gears place is an we'll be on our way."

The gnome giggled a bit, "Why, its right out there, good dwarf.

Tink pointed towards an arched doorway. "Just make your way across that hall to the other side and hang a left."

Perfyume and John thanked Tink and said their good-byes to the rest of the gnomes before gathering up their stuff and heading out.

After waving to them, Perfyume turned to John, "This didn't turn out the way I had hoped, my friend. I came here wanting to save the city and its people, but instead I'm taking a letter to the President detailing what may well become the city's destruction."

"Aye, that's true, lass. But ya got ta tha bottom of what was goin on here. These folks are countin on us ta get that note ta tha authorities an Ah think we should do what we kin for em."

Perfyume nodded, "Don't worry, I have every intention of making this delivery. I'm just disappointed that we can't do more."

"Well lass, lets just do what we kin, and then go on from there, eh?"

Perfyume smiled warmly, "You know, for a dwarf you come up with some pretty deep philosophy. And here I was thinking you were just another hunter that liked to dig in the ground."

John gave out a hearty laugh and patted his companion on the shoulder, "Well lass, ah never thought of it as that. Ah just do what ah think is right."

Perfyume giggled a bit, "Sounds good to me. Alright, let's see if we can find out way out of here."

They worked their way through the ruins of what was once the Hall of Gears. Broken machinery littered the ground and hampered their progress. At one point, John placed his hand in front of Perfyume and whispered, "Hold it right there, lass. Ah hear something up ahead. It sounded like voices, but Ah can't be sure."

Perfyume reached over and fondly petted Smokey, "Let's send these two to scout up ahead for us."

John sent the old bear up ahead just as Perfyume sent the demon to follow. They had just turned the corner around a large piece of machinery when they were greeted with a high pitched voice, "Perfyume!"


	22. Confession

Chapter 22 – Confession

Cartier noticed a motion out of the corner of her eye and was amazed to see a large brown bear making its way around a piece of large machinery. The bruin was soon followed by the bluish shape of a voidwalker. The two seemed to be making their way cautiously as if looking for danger. She called out in a low voice, "Col….We've got company."

Cartier's eyes widened as Perfyume and John appeared as well. She was about to warn her companions when Ami suddenly took off towards the pair. Hopping as she went, she yelled out the gnome's name before grabbing her in a fierce hug.

"Perfyume!"

Perfyume was nearly thrown off her feet as the little ball of energy grabbed on to her, "What the heck? John, help me!"

Ami looked up at Perfyume with tears in her eyes, "I was so worried! After that explosion, I thought you had been hurt or killed!"

Perfyume's eyes widened, "Ami? Is that you?"

Before the little rogue could answer, Cartier smirked, "Well, it looks like that little sneak is good for something after all. She found Perfyume and the hunter for us."

Perfyume glared at Cartier as she handed Ami over to John, "Why did you bring her here? This city is extremely dangerous and no place for a child like her."

Cologne stepped forward, "We didn't bring her here. She followed you two in when you left her village."

Perfyume turned to Ami, "Is this true? Did you really leave home and follow us in here?"

Ami nodded as tears began to well up in her eyes and John laughed, "Yer aunt's gonna have our hides fer sure when she finds about this."

Perfyume turned to the others and narrowed her eyes, "I can't really believe you came in here just to look for this child. You're not bounty hunters, and you don't look like thieves. Just who are you, anyway?"

Cologne took a few steps forward, "You don't recognize me, do you?"

Perfyume for the first time studied the old gnome. She noted the mage's advanced age with snow-white hair, age spots and quite a few wrinkles. She also took note of the bright green eyes that still burned with fire.

Her eyes widened, "Cologne?"

Cologne smiled a bit, "Yes mom, it's me. I have been search-"

Cologne was cut off as Perfyume reached out and grasped her shoulder with one hand and cupping the side of her head with the other, "I thought I had lost you, daughter. When I awoke from that prison, everything I had known was gone."

Tears began to form in her eyes as she went on, "My family, my friends, and even Gnomeregan."

Cologne was a bit confused. This was not the way she pictured her mom to have acted. Instead of the heartless warlock she was sent to imprison, her mom was acting more like...her mom."

She did the only thing she could do. She reached out and hugged her mom.

All while this was going on, Cartier and B'jack could only watch in amazement. The young woman turned to her partner, "How do you like that, B'jack? She drags us all over the dwarven realm and down into this hell-hole, just to have a family reunion."

B'jack chuckled a bit, "Yeah. The least she could have done was hold it in a nice inn with comfortable chairs and a lotta good ale."

Something suddenly caught his eye and the paladin pointed at the far walls, "We're going to have to cut this little party short."

Cartier looked up to where her companion was pointing and gasped. Dozens of troggs were pouring out of the openings in the walls and moving towards them. She turned towards the mage and shouted, "Col! We've got company!"

Cologne looked up and quickly released her mom. She spotted the troggs and yelled, "Defensive positions! Everyone come close."

She turned towards Cartier, "Get your voidwalker ready. Were going to need his ability to torment and keep them busy while we hit them hard."

"B'jack, it looks like you're going to get a few dents in that shiny armor of yours after all. Be ready to grab their attention."

B'jack laughed, "You got it, Col."

She turned towards her mom and John, "Alright, here's the plan. You and Cartier are going to send your voidwalkers out to torment the troggs, when they have a few on them, send them over to the paladin. I'm going to hit them with Blizzard while you and Cartier drop Rain of Fire on them."

She turned towards John, "I want you to keep your bear in close, if anyone gets through, send him out to attack and draw them out to B'jack. Have your gun and axe ready if one gets through."

The dwarf nodded, "Aye lass, don't you worry none. Me an ol Smokey will keep em off yer backs."

Cologne smiled and nodded at the hunter before turning her attention to Ami. She sat down in front of the young gnome and said, "Ami, we have a big problem here. Those troggs coming towards us mean business. I want you to stick close to Cartier, Mom, or myself. Stay hidden as best as you can, okay?"

Ami nodded and Cologne reached out and brushed the hair out of her eyes, "Good girl. I'll be counting on you."

Cologne turned her attention towards the advancing troggs, which had begun to form a semi-circle around the adventurers in an attempt to surround them. It was only the ruined machinery at their backs that prevented the troggs from completely doing so. B'jack and the voidwalkers had already taken up positions between the casters and the gathering troggs.

She called out to B'jack, "Alright, we're ready here. Do your stuff."

B'jack grinned evilly and faced the largest concentration of troggs. After sheathing his sword, he began walking towards them.

John couldn't believe what he was seeing, "What's tha lad up ta? Has he gone daft on us?"

Cologne chuckled, "No…it's just his way of doing things. Be ready now!"

A few of the troggs nearest B'jack gathered enough courage to move and charged B'jack. He quickly pulled out the sword and was ready when they got in range. Moving quickly, he once again only hit the troggs hard enough to enrage them. The troggs began screaming and chased after B'jack. Cartier and Perfyume had already sent the voidwalkers out against the troggs. Swiping their massive clawed hands across the troggs faces, they caused tremendous pain and rage. Within seconds, both B'jack and the voidwalkers had dozens of troggs blindly chasing them. B'jack suddenly stopped running and the screaming troggs leaped on him and began pounding his armor with their wooden clubs. When the two warlocks saw this, they sent the voidwalkers with their own bunch of troggs over to B'jack.

When the troggs were massed into a tight bunch, cologne called out, "Now! Let them have it!"

The three casters spread their hands slightly with their palms up. Three swirling clouds began to form above the troggs, one a deep blue, the other two a deep red. As one they raised their hands skyward and small globes of bright energy began jumping from their fingertips and into the swirling vortexes. Almost immediately, bright blue clumps of ice and glowing balls of flame began raining down on the troggs attacking B'jack and the voidwalkers. The troggs that were hit with clumps of ice screamed as they were pounded from above. The troggs that were hit with the fireballs at once became covered in flame and after taking a few staggering steps, fell to the ground to die. Within seconds, only B'jack and the voidwalkers remained standing.

Cologne gave B'jack the thumbs up, and as he took off with the voidwalkers to round up more troggs, Perfyume smiled as she thought to herself, "_These friends of Cologne's are pretty sharp and seem to work very well together. It's good to know she friends as talented as these two_."

As B'jack did his work, a pair of troggs broke lose and charged the casters. Cologne noticed the pair first, "Hunter! Incoming."

John had already sent the bear after the incoming troggs and glanced over as he raised his gun, "Ah got ya covered, lass."

Smokey charged at the troggs and quickly took massive swipes at their sides and backs with his huge claws. The troggs screamed in rage and turned their attention to the bruin. John fired off a shot against the weaker of the two troggs and began to reload as the trogg staggered a few steps before falling down. The last trogg broke free and charged once again for the casters. Before John could raise his rifle, he saw a pair of glowing missiles fly by. One a Shadow bolt, the other an Arcane Missile, they hit the trogg hard enough for him to stagger back before falling down. Perfyume and Cologne had both fired on the trogg at the same time and as the old mage gave her mother an approving nod, John chuckled to himself, "_Well, there kin be no doubt those two are family_."

As B'jack and the voidwalkers tormented more troggs, there was a sudden deep, rasping sound. All of the troggs, including the ones attacking B'jack, stopped fighting and began to back away from the adventurers. As B'jack began to move back towards his friends, John commented, "Ah wonder what's goin on? It's not like tha beasties ta give up in a fight."

Cologne narrowed her eyes slightly, "Something's up alright. These things may seem dim witted, but that doesn't make them any less dangerous."

There was another rasping hiss and Cartier pointed, "Look there!"

Ami gasped as a huge trogg appeared from behind some machinery. Nearly half again as tall as B'jack, it growled and hissed as it moved through the smaller troggs. As it got closer, it could be seen that this trogg was a bit different than just being larger. It wore rusty plate armor leggings that protected it from its waist down to about the knees. It also wore a chest piece composed of bits of metal tied together with leather cord. For a weapon he held a large club made from a piece of hardwood. The end of the club had several large pieces of sharp metal sticking out in all directions.

The big trogg turned and began to walk directly towards them, its mouth drawn up in a hideous tooth filled grin. As it walked, the smaller troggs kept well back in a semi-circle. The trogg came to a stop several yards from where B'jack was standing. It sneered at the paladin and then pointed a filthy finger at Ami, "Ish am Shukaar! Give ush tasty little onesh. We maybesh let shyou go."

Ami hid behind Perfyume, "He-he wants to eat us!"

B'jack glared at the trogg, "If ya think were gonna hand over our friends to ya just like that, you got another thing coming, pal. Why don't ya just turn around and crawl back in that stinking hole ya came from."

John raised his rifle and took aim at the trogg, "Aye, ya better listen ta tha lad if ya know what's good fer ya. Ah got me sights on ya right between tha eyes, an ah don't miss."

Cartier cast a spell of Demon Armor on herself and then began to prime up for a Shadow Bolt, "If you even try to hurt my friends, I will make you burn with pain!"

B'jack took a few steps in front of the massive trogg, "What will it be, Chuckles? Are ya going to head on back to your hole, or are we gonna have to kick yer butt and make ya?"

Shukaar stared at B'jack for a moment as if thinking about what he said. Suddenly its eyes got large and it roared at B'jack. It took a step towards the paladin and swung across with its massive club. B'jack brought his sword up to block, but the mass of the club and its speed were too much and with a mighty crash of metal against solid wood, he was tossed a good ten yards off to the side. Cartier cringed as her old friend staggered to his feet, "B'jack…."

The instant the trogg attacked, the voidwalkers and Smokey rushed it. Perfyume and Cartier already had their Shadow Bolts primed up and fired them off. While the warlocks were recharging their spells, Cologne shot off her Firebolt spell. The trogg seemed unfazed by the flames and continued to fight off the bear and voidwalkers.

Cologne yelled out, "It's too strong! We have to use more power or he'll just wear us down!"

As the warlocks nodded, cologne began to fire her arcane missiles. More powerful than her fireballs, they came with the price of using her valuable mana at a much faster rate.

Both of the warlocks began casting their other spells of Searing Pain and Curse of Agony. The trogg staggered back at the additional damage it was taking from the more powerful spells. In addition, B'jack was back in its face with his sword, trying to get hits around the trogg's club. It roared and swung its crude weapon at B'jack, but this time the paladin was prepared for the attack and easily ducked under the trogg's swing.

John was taking careful aim at the trogg, "It's time ta end this before one o us gets hurt."

The trogg was moving fiercely against B'jack and when it gave John a good target, he fired the rifle. Unfortunately, the trogg's club was coming up in an arc to strike at B'jack and crossed the path of the bullet. There was a small explosion on the club and suddenly the trogg's face was showered with very sharp splinters of wood. At least one of those splinters lodged itself in the trogg's eye. Shukaar let out a terrible scream and turned towards the dwarf. Faster than anyone could imagine the trogg leaped towards the hunter and brought its club down in a vicious overhead swing. John saw the attack coming and brought his axe and gun up as a shield in an attempt to block it. But the trogg was too strong and the speed and mass of the club easily overcame john's defense as it smashed the rifle and knocked the axe aside. Before he could react, the crude weapon struck hard against John's upper arm and side, knocking the dwarf down hard onto the floor.

Perfyume screamed, "John!"

Cologne was firing her Arcane missiles non stop against the trogg as it raised its club above its head and hissed, "Dwarfsh die now!"

The trogg was about to finish off John with another powerful swing aimed at the dwarf's head when it was suddenly struck by a massive ball of energy. The blast threw the trogg several yards back and as it struggled to its feet, cologne glanced over to the source of the energy blast and gasped, "Mom?"

Perfyume was shrouded in a large ball of sparkling violet energy. Bright sparks jumped around the inside and danced across her body. Dark tentacles of energy snaked across the ground, reaching out from the ball and towards the now dead troggs. Each time a tentacle touched a trogg, it glowed for a moment as it drained the remains of the trogg's soul before moving on to another. From within the sphere, a low menacing voice called out, "Keep your filthy hands off him!"

Shukaar was not used to losing a fight to anyone, especially a gnome. It shook its head for a bit and then narrowed its eyes at the small warlock, "You no hurtsh me, gnome. Killsh you now. Eatsh you later."

With that, the trogg raised its club and charged towards the little warlock. Perfyume placed one hand out in front of her, palm towards the trogg. The other hand was placed away from her side, fingers spread and point down. The sphere brightened as long snaking bolts of electricity arced out and away from it. A black ball began to form around Perfyume's extended hand. Expanding and contracting, it looked as if it was a dark and evil form of living energy. Suddenly the black ball burst away from Perfyume's hand and streaked towards the charging trogg. Shukaar was struck directly in the chest and as the ball of energy burst out through the trogg's back, its eyes glowed a deep violet and it screamed horribly from the pain. The ball did not dissipate but instead, arced around and struck the trogg again in the side. The trogg staggered and screamed at the pain as violet arcs jumped inside its open mouth and around its eyes. The black ball curved around for its final strike, zeroing in once again on the doomed trogg's chest. Before the trogg could react, the ball struck it and buried itself deep inside. The trogg gasped and clutched its chest as it fell to the ground.

Cologne couldn't believe her eyes. Never before had she seen such power. She turned her attention to John, "B'jack, check on the dwarf. See what you can do for him."

As B'jack rushed over to aid the fallen hunter, Cologne again turned her attention to her mom. Perfume was still surrounded by the ball of energy and was staring in deep concentration at the remaining mass of troggs. "Mom, it's dead now. You can relax"

After a few seconds, Cartier commented as she studied the energy field, "I don't know if she can hear you right now, Col. That energy field seems to be a very pure form of shadow energy and it might be maintained only by her own mental concentration."

Cologne was about to question Cartier further when Ami cried out, "They're coming again!"

They looked over and saw that the troggs were indeed moving towards them again. Cologne was about to begin giving orders when a low voice once again rumbled from the sphere around Perfyume, "I grow tired of these things. It's time to end it once and for all!"

Cologne turned and saw that her mom was again drawing energy from around her. Suddenly she felt weak and realized immediately what it was, "Cartier! She's draining our mana!"

Perfyume turned towards her daughter with warm eyes and looked at her for a moment before turning her attention again to the troggs. She raised both of her hands above her head and after a moment she brought her hands down so that they were straight out and away from her on either side. She then brought her hands together and clapped them tightly together. Immediately several hundred fist sized balls of shadow energy leaped away from her and flew towards the troggs. Before the troggs could react, the bolts of energy slammed into them, ripping their souls out before continuing on to the next target. In seconds the ground was littered with dead troggs and as the energy bolts dissipated, B'jack gave out a low whistle, "Whoa."

Cartier gasped, "They're all dead. She took them all out with one spell."

B'jack reached for more bandages, "If she hadn't hit that trogg when she did, this hunter would have been done for.

Cologne turned towards B'jack and the dwarf, "How is he?"

He's hurting pretty bad, Col."

"John?"

Perfyume was on her knees by the dwarf's side. Her bubble of energy gone, she reached out with shaking hands and clasped the hunter's, "John, please speak to me."

The dwarf opened his eyes and looked towards Perfyume, "Ah there ya are, lass. Ahm glad ta see yer not hurt."

He gritted his teeth for a moment as a wave of pain washed over him. Then he took a deep breath, "Listen lass, there's something Ah've been wantin ta tell ya."

Perfyume's eyes moistened, "Sure John, what is it?"

John smiled, "Ya remember that first day when ah found ya in that room o yers? Ya remember when ya helped me with that wound ah had after we tangled with that bunch o troggs?"

When Perfyume nodded, he continued, "It happened ta me right then an there, Perfyume."

"What happened?"

"Ah fell in love with ya, lass."

Perfyume's eyes filled with tears as she clasped his hand tightly, "Oh John…"

The Dwarf closed his eyes and gritted his teeth for a moment as a wave of pain washed over him. "Ah've been meaning ta tell ya lass. It's just…. It's just ah wasn't sure how ya'd take it."

Perfyume looked at her companion with tear streaked cheeks, "John…I…"

John smiled warmly, "Ah know, lass"

She stared at the dwarf for a moment, "How did…?)

Before the hunter could say more, a sharp pain raced though his side. His breath suddenly hissing through clenched teeth, he closed his eyes and slipped into unconsciousness.

"John! No! Don't leave me! Not now!"

B'jack spoke softly, "He's still alive, Perfyume. The pain's caused him to black out for now."

As she reached around the dwarf's neck and held him close while crying softly, B'jack turned to Cologne, "Col, we got another problem. He's tough as nails like most dwarves, but we gotta get him to a priest right away. That arm of his is no biggie and I can help him there, but he has a few busted ribs and I think one has punched into his lung. We gotta get him outa here right now or he'll drown in his own blood. I need ya to cast up a portal so we can jump to Ironforge where they can take care of him."

Cologne had been watching her mom and after hearing what B'jack had to say, turned towards him with worry in her eyes, "I can't B'jack."


	23. Run Like a Thief

Chapter 22 – Run like a Thief

B'jack stared at his friend, "What do ya mean ya can't"

Cologne nodded towards her mom, "When she cast that last spell of hers, it drained every last drop of manna out of me."

B'jack's eyes widened, "Don't ya have any of those potions? You and Cartier always have a bunch handy."

"We had a few when we left, but with all the action we've had to deal with, I used what I had a while back. I can usually conjure up some water that will help me regenerate the manna quickly, but I'm so low right now that I cant even do that."

B'jack glanced over at John, "We gotta think of something, Col. He ain't gonna last that long."

B'jack walked over to where Cartier and Ami were standing, "Are you sure you don't have any potions in your pack Cartier? Just a little one should get Col's manna generation started."

Cartier answered with concern in her voice, "I'm sorry B'jack, I've been out for quite a while."

Ami tugged on Cartier's robes, "Excuse me?"

Cartier squatted down to the little gnome's level, "What is it Ami? We have a serious situation here."

Ami nodded and looked at Cartier, "I know. I was just wondering why Cologne can't use her magic. Is she sick?"

Cartier smiled, "Not exactly. You see, when her mom used that spell that killed off all of those troggs, it also drained all of Col's manna. Normally when we need to leave a dangerous place quickly, we would open a portal to Ironforge, but Col's been drained too low to even do that. What she needs is a manna potion to get her regeneration started."

The little rogue questioned, "What's a manna potion?"

"It is a special liquid used by casters to quickly replenish their manna when it's low. It's found in glass bottles and is usually blue in color. You can sometimes-"

Ami interrupted, "Blue?"

Cartier studied Ami for a moment, "Yes blue. I'm sure you have seen them in venders carts."

Ami nodded, "I saw some here."

Cartier nearly fell over, "Where? Do you remember?"

Ami smiled, "Over by the ramps. There was an old box with a few bottles in it."

Cartier stood up, "Wait here. I'm going to get B'jack."

B'jack was talking with Cologne when Cartier interrupted, "Ami seems to know where some manna potions are."

B'jack smiled, "That's great! Lets get her to show us where they are and then we can get outa here!"

But when they turned towards the spot where Ami was, she was no where to be seen. Cartier looked at B'jack with worry in her eyes, "Oh no! She's gone looking for it on her own!"

B'jack swore, "If she's in her stealth mode, we'll never catch her."

At that moment Ami was running as fast as she could in plain sight. Darting though the ruins, she stepped quietly and quickly, her feet barely making a sound. Turning around a large broken gear, she saw the entrance to the stair ramps. She stopped for a moment at the opening and listened carefully. A slight hissing noise was clearly audible and she instinctively slipped into her stealth mode and faded from sight. Careful not to make a single sound that might give her away, she crept up the ramps to the place where she saw the bottles earlier. After the second turn, she froze. A large trogg was standing very near to where she thought the bottles were laying.

Ami quietly crept closer to the trogg. She could soon see that the bottles were laying on the floor not more than a few inches from the heal of the trogg. Ami was shaking with fear as she crept closer to the trogg as quietly as she could. When she was just behind the trogg, she carefully reached down to the small box of bottles. She could see now that only 2 were unbroken. The rest, most likely crushed under the trogg's feet. As she began to slowly pick up the box, there was a soft tinkle of glass.

Ami gasped to herself as the trogg looked about, "_Light! He almost heard me! I've got to get this away before I'm caught!_"

She swallowed and quickly picked up the small box and held it close. She backed away and began to creep away from the trogg, when some broken glass made another sound. The trogg turned towards her and hissed loudly, "Gnomesh!!"

Her cover blown, she ran down the ramps for all she was worth. Turning the corner she exited the opening and darted past the broken machinery. She could still hear the trogg close by and her eyes widened in fear as it screamed out at her, "Yoush cant hide, gnomesh. I find you shoon!"

Ami knew it was just a little further to her friends, but she also knew that if she didn't make it, John would die. She concentrated on outrunning the trogg, "_I've got to make it…I've got to_!"

She was concentrating so hard, she didn't realize that she was moving far faster than she normally could run. Rogues can sprint very fast for short distances, and for Ami, she didn't have far to go.

B'jack turned to Cologne, "How ya doin, Col?"

The old mage looked up at her friend for a bit, "I'm starting to feel it again, B'jack. I'll have enough manna to conjure some mage water in about ten minutes."

Cartier whispered to B'jack, "That's too long! He's not going to make it if we have to wait much longer."

B'jack was staring across the pieces of machinery, "Yeah, we're gonna ha-Hey! What's that?"

B'jack was pointing at a small blur moving towards them at a quick pace. Cartier smiled, "It looks like our runaway rogue has returned."

Ami ran past B'jack and Cartier right up to a very surprised Cologne. Panting she reached in her shirt and produced a pair of bottles, "Are these what you need."

Cologne's eyes widened at the sight of the bottles, "Light, Ami! That's exactly what I need!"

She gently took one of the bottles and after pulling the stopper, drank the contents. Made from the waters from the elvin moon wells, the liquid rapidly replenished Cologne's manna reserves. After a few moments she smiled and turned to the others, "Alright, let's get out of here. B'jack, you'll have to carry the dwarf."

"You got it, Col"

"The moment I cast the portal, you jump through. The rest of you, follow right after."

As Cologne began to cast her spell, Ami looked up at Cartier, "I've never been through a portal before!"

Cartier smiled and patted the little rogue on the head, "Nothing to worry about, Ami. Col does this all the time."

There was a shimmering in the air and soon a grayish cloud began to appear in front of the adventurers. Ami was wide-eyed and pointed, "Look, I can see Ironforge!"

Cartier chuckled, "Yep, told you she could do it."

B'jack lifted the hunter and grunted, "Light! For a short guy he weighs a ton!"

Moments later he walked into the portal and faded from view. Cartier then reached down and grasped Ami's hand, "Okay, it's our turn now."

Ami was a bit hesitant, but she too stepped through the portal with Cartier and vanished from sight.

Cologne turned to Perfyume, "Alright, mom. It's our turn now. We don't want to mi-"

She was interrupted by a loud hiss as Ami's trogg showed up, "You diesh now!"

Cologne swore to herself as she began to fire of her Arcane Missiles, "_No! I don't have enough manna to fight this one alone!_"

When the last missile fired, she brought up her staff into a defensive position. The trogg eyed the little mage and laughed as it charged towards her. Suddenly there was a flash of bright violet light as the trogg was hit and engulfed in shadow energy. Its eyes glowed as sparks danced across its body. When the glow faded, the trogg fell to the ground in a lifeless heap. Cologne turned and saw Perfyume, her hand still extended from casting the Shadow Bolt.

"Mom…"

Perfyume turned to her daughter and smiled a bit, "We need to leave, Cologne. That portal of yours isn't going to last much longer."

Cologne smiled back, "I know mom. Thanks, by the way. That bottle Ami gave me only recharged a bit of my manna, and after firing that set of missiles, I was out again"

"So I saw."

Perfyume winked just before she jumped into the portal, "You should learn to manage your manna better, daughter."

Cologne blinked for a moment and then moved to follow her mom when something on the ground caught her eye. She reached down and picked it up. Bright silver in color and round like come kind of coin, it had several dwarven markings along its outer rim. The center had a pentagon shaped hole in it. She placed the item in her pocket and then followed her mom through the portal. There was a very brief moment of grey nothingness and then she was standing in the Mystic Ward of the dwarven city of Ironforge. A central training area for mages, priests and paladins, it also served as the city's main clinic.

Several dwarven priests had already taken John over to a room to tend to his wounds. Cologne walked over to B'jack and asked, "How is he doing?"

"It was pretty crazy there for a while. The young priests here were a bit overwhelmed by his internal injuries. Fortunately for him, an elvin priestess by the name of Nightystar offered her hand to help. I think he wouldn't have made it without her help…."

He then turned to Cologne, "Ya took your sweet time getting here, Col. I was startin to think you and your mom were gonna stay in that old city of yours."

Cologne chuckled, "We had a run in with another trogg. No biggie, though"

She looked around the clinic, "Speaking of mom, where did she go? She jumped right before me but I don't see her around."

B'jack laughed, "She made a bee line straight for that hunter of hers. The priests tried to stop her, but she would have nothing of it. After a couple of seconds of her glowing that purple color, they let her in."

Cologne walked over to a bench and sat down. When B'jack sat next to her, she looked off into the distance, "Nothing ever works out the way we plan, old friend. I get you and Cartier together to go looking for mom and then we find she has fallen for a dwarven hunter of all people. On top of that, she's changed. She's become the person I remember as my mom when I was a kid before dad got killed. All the anger I had in me washed away when I hugged her, B'jack. There is no way I could ever do anything to harm her…or allow harm to come to her, now."

She placed her hands on her fore head and leaned over, "If word gets out I disobeyed a direct military order, I could be in terrible trouble. Light, what am I going to do?"

She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and heard a soft voice speak, "You will do what you have always done in the past, Cologne. You will follow your heart and do what is right."

Cologne looked up to see a young looking elf sitting next to her, "Nightystar…"

Cologne reached out and hugged her old friend tightly. The white haired elf chuckled and smiled, "It's good to see you again too, Cologne."

Cologne let go and looked up at the elf, "Not that I'm complaining, but what brings you here to Ironforge? The last we saw, you were assisting in that little village."

The elf smiled, "I guess you could call it a bit of good luck. When I finished there I came back here to buy supplies for my order in Darnasses. Once I gathered up what was needed, I stopped by the clinic to pay my respects. It was then your dwarven friend and B'jack dropped in."

Cologne chuckled, "I'll bet that caused quite a stir here with all these students."

Nightystar nodded but didn't answer as she watched Cartier and Ami sitting together across the room. The rogue and warlock seemed to be chatting about something and getting along rather well. The elf smiled a bit as she watched the pair, "Everything finds a balance, Col. Eventually, even the worst situations all work out in the end."

The old mage cocked an eyebrow at the priest for a bit. Then she looked over at Ami and Cartier. After a moment a smile formed across her lips and she nodded in agreement.

The next morning, John was just waking up in his room when there was a light knock at the door. A moment later, a white haired little warlock stepped in carrying a small tray.

John smiled, "Good morning, lass. Whatcha got there?"

Perfyume giggled, "It's just a bit of stew I cooked up. The priests say you can eat soft foods like this now. I hope you like it."

She set the tray on the bed and after climbing up, placed it on john's lap. He took the spoon and stirred it a bit, smelling the aroma, "Mmm. Hey lass, this smells pretty good."

He took a taste and after a moment he smiled and looked fondly at his friend, "Rabbit stew…."

After he had finished the stew, Perfyume took the bowl and placed it on a small table. She blushed a bit and reached into her pocket, "Oh, I almost forgot. This came for you earlier."

She handed him the envelope and he read the address, "It's from me father…."

He opened it and after reading it quickly, looked at Perfyume, "Once Ah'm healed up a bit, he wants us both ta report ta the clan headquarters."

"Clan? What clan, John"

John sighed, "Me father's a high rankin member of tha Ironpants clan. Ah only hope it's nothin serious."

She climbed up and snuggled up against his good side, "Don't worry, John. What ever it is, well face it together.

The dwarf laughed lightly against his bandaged ribs as he reached around and held her close, "Aye lass. Ah have no doubt of that."

**The end**


End file.
